The Director General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, says the Baba Yara Stadium will be ready to host the first game of the 2026/27 Ghana football season.
The NSA boss toured the facility with NSA Board Chairman, Dr Fred Awaah, and the NSA Estate Boss, Mr Ebo.
The 2026/27 Ghana Premier League season is scheduled to kick off from September 4 to 7, 2026.
After inspecting the stadium, Mr Ampofo Ankrah commended the Ashanti Regional Directorate for its efforts to restore the facility to full functionality.
He assessed the progress of work on the pitch and inspected the stability of the scoreboard and floodlights.
Speaking to the media, Yaw Ampofo Ankrah expressed confidence that the facility would be ready in time for the new football season.
“The pitch is responding to treatment and the rehabilitation is on course. I believe in a few weeks it should be in good stead, strong enough, robust to host football matches, including the Ghana Premier League and any other international match if the need arises,” he said.
The NSA came under heavy criticism after a video showing groundkeepers using hoes to work on the pitch instead of modern turf maintenance equipment went viral.
However, Mr Ampofo Ankrah defended the efforts of the Ashanti Regional Directorate, explaining that the facility currently lacks some of the modern equipment needed for pitch maintenance.
“We don’t have the tools that are common; we will acquire them soon, but I commend them [Ashanti Regional Directorate] for tackling the weeds from its source. In the past, when the sprinklers were not working, they resorted to the Fire Service and other means to ensure the grass doesn’t die. Perhaps people didn’t understand the images, but now they do,” he said.
With Ghana’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers expected to begin in September, there has been speculation about the possibility of hosting the Black Stars’ home games at the Baba Yara Stadium.
Mr Ampofo Ankrah, however, said the decision on whether the national team will use the facility rests with the Ministry of Sports and the Ghana Football Association (GFA), after consultations with the engineers responsible for the stadium.
Despite the progress made, more than 3,000 seats at the stadium are still expected to be repaired following violence during school sports competitions in January, which resulted in damage to some of the seats.
The NSA boss reiterated that the Ghana Education Service has agreed to fund the restoration of the damaged seats.
