Ghana’s Accra Sports Stadium has been cleared by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to host international matches, paving the way for the Black Stars to return to their traditional home for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The approval follows months of renovation work by the National Sports Authority (NSA) to bring the stadium back in line with CAF requirements after it previously lost its certification.
Ghana will host Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium on 27 September in their first home match of the 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign.
The Black Stars open their Group C campaign away to Ivory Coast on 24 September before returning home three days later to face Gambia.
CAF’s decision ends uncertainty over Ghana’s ability to stage major international fixtures at the stadium, which has struggled to meet international standards in recent years.
The Black Stars had been forced to consider alternative venues for some home matches while concerns over the condition of the Accra Sports Stadium persisted.
Earlier this month, Berekum West MP Dickson Kyere-Duah described the facility as a “death trap”, highlighting concerns over the wider state of Ghana’s sporting infrastructure.
The stadium’s reinstatement on CAF’s approved list could also make it an important alternative venue for other African nations without facilities that meet international standards.
Niger have already secured permission to use the Accra Sports Stadium for their home matches in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers. They are in Group A with Morocco, Gabon and Lesotho.
Somalia has also formally approached the NSA to request permission to stage its home qualifiers in Accra.
Somalia are in the same qualifying group as Ghana, Ivory Coast and Gabon, meaning the stadium could host several matches involving teams in Group C.
The top two teams from each qualifying group will qualify for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from 19 June to 17 July 2027.
For Ghana, the return to the Accra Sports Stadium provides the Black Stars with a familiar home venue as they begin their attempt to qualify for the tournament after missing the 2025 AFCON in Morocco.
