Black Queens head coach Kim Lars Björkegren has expressed concern over Ghana’s limited recovery time ahead of their crucial 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) quarter-final clash against Malawi on Sunday.
Ghana booked their place in the last eight after battling to a 1-1 draw with Mali in their final Group D encounter in Casablanca on Thursday night.
However, the Black Queens face a demanding schedule, with only two days to recover from the physically intense group-stage match before taking on Malawi. The team must also travel from Casablanca to Rabat, where the quarter-final will be played.
Björkegren believes the tight turnaround could present an additional challenge for his players, particularly given the logistics involved in moving the entire delegation between the two cities.
“It’s a problem. Also, the fact that if you play in Group D, it’s not a favour for you because you have your rest days before the tournament starts, which is really no help. And now we only have like two days for recovery,” the Swedish trainer said.
The Ghana coach explained that the journey to Rabat, although relatively short in distance, will still consume valuable recovery time because of the size of the team’s travelling party.
“One of them includes a move to Rabat. Even if the distance is not so big, it takes a group of 50 people or whatever we are to move. It takes half a day. So, of course, it’s not perfect. But at the same time, it’s nothing we can do about that.”
Despite the challenging schedule, Björkegren remains optimistic that Ghana can take confidence from their performance against Mali into the knockout stage.
The Black Queens had to dig deep to secure the result they needed, but the coach was pleased with the overall performance and particularly relieved that the team came through the encounter without suffering any injuries.
“I think this performance today is going to give the players good energy. And we were lucky, as I can see at least, that we have no injuries today.”
The quarter-final against Malawi is a major opportunity for Ghana, with a place in the semi-finals carrying significant implications.
A victory would not only take the Black Queens into the last four of the continental competition but would also secure Ghana’s return to the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time since 2007.
Ghana’s quarter-final against Malawi is scheduled for Sunday in Rabat, with kick-off set for 20:00 GMT.
