Former Ghana international Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu is confident the Black Stars can recover from their disappointing start to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
Ghana suffered defeats in their opening two matches, leaving them without a point and bottom of Group C as they seek to return to the continental showpiece.
The four-time African champions began their campaign with a 2-0 loss to Côte d’Ivoire in Bouaké before surrendering a two-goal lead to suffer a 4-2 defeat against The Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium.
The results have left Ghana facing an uphill task in their bid to qualify for the tournament, having also missed out on the 2025 edition in Morocco.
However, Agyemang-Badu believes the Black Stars can get their campaign back on track when they face Somalia in a double-header scheduled for November.
“I’m optimistic that the Black Stars might win their next games,” he told Ahenfie Sports.
Ghana are due to play both matches against Somalia as they look to secure their first points of the qualifying campaign and revive their hopes of reaching the tournament.
The former midfielder, who was part of Ghana’s squad that won the 2009 FIFA Under-20 World Cup, has also urged the national team’s technical staff to give more opportunities to players performing in the domestic league.
Agyemang-Badu believes talented local players deserve the chance to prove themselves at international level and contribute to the Black Stars.
“Let’s give local players the chance they deserve,” he added.
An interim technical team is expected to oversee Ghana’s preparations for the two matches against Somalia as the Ghana Football Association works on the next steps following the departure of Carlos Queiroz.
The upcoming fixtures will be crucial for the Black Stars, who must improve on their opening results to keep their qualification ambitions alive.
Ghana are aiming to return to the AFCON finals after failing to qualify for the 2025 tournament in Morocco, where they missed out for the first time in 20 years.
