The winner of this year’s Democracy Cup clash between Ghanaian rivals Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak could travel to the United States for an exhibition match in 2027 under a proposal submitted to Ghana’s Parliament.
The two clubs will meet in the 2026 Democracy Cup on Friday, August 28, with the winner potentially representing the competition at the BABA Festival in Antelope Valley, California, in May 2027.
According to the proposal, the winning club would face a partner team in what organisers hope will become the festival’s flagship sporting event.
The proposal was submitted by Ambassador Christian P. Richards Jr., founder and president of Choosing Independence, in a letter dated August 18, 2026, to Parliament’s Clerk, Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror.
“We therefore propose that Parliament extend this tradition to Los Angeles,” the letter said.
It added that the winning club should be invited to travel to Antelope Valley, California, to play a partner team as part of the festival’s programme.
Parliament partnership proposed
Organisers are seeking to make Ghana’s Parliament a strategic partner of the BABA Festival, which aims to strengthen ties between Africa and the African-American diaspora.
Under the proposal, the Democracy Cup and Parliament’s civic engagement initiatives through sport would feature in the festival’s programming and communications.
The organisers argued that staging the match in the United States would showcase the Democracy Cup’s message of “unity and democratic maturity” to African-American audiences while creating “a shared moment of pride, competition, and connection” for Ghanaians living abroad and African Americans.
The letter described the proposed trip as “a natural extension” of the Democracy Cup’s previous international engagements and said organisers were prepared to work with Parliament on the logistics, timing and format of the fixture.
The proposal has now been presented to Parliament, while the outcome of Friday’s match between Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak will determine which club could earn the opportunity to represent the Democracy Cup in California next year.
