The stadium, which previously hosted Ghana’s national team games ahead of the 2022 World Cup, has been barred by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) from hosting Category A matches.

Speaking to 3Sports, Mr. Adams outlined the government’s plan for the facility.

“If you look at the key stadium facilities we have, Cape Coast is the one that we will not spend so much [to] refurbish it quickly, and [we will] not allow any club to play there; just keep it as a national stadium for Black Stars only, for the meantime.”

He further revealed that the renovations aim to prepare the stadium in time for Ghana’s next round of World Cup qualifiers in September and October.

“So we would have prepared it for the September and October window when we play the next qualifiers. After that, we can close Accra and Kumasi as well and make sure they are refurbished for competitions,” the Member of Parliament for Buem said.

Following the ban on Baba Yara Stadium by both CAF and FIFA, Ghana’s 2026 World Cup qualifying games will be played at the Accra Sports Stadium.

Meanwhile, the Black Stars are set to face Chad in their Matchday 5 fixture before travelling to Morocco for their Matchday 6 clash against Madagascar.

This change comes after the Baba Yara Stadium was disqualified from hosting Category C matches due to its poor playing surface.

Last weekend, officials from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) visited Ghana to assess the Accra and Cape Coast stadiums for possible approval.

The inspection was requested by the Ministry of Sports to prevent the embarrassment of having no local venue for upcoming international matches.

Following the inspection, it has been reported that Ghana’s matchday three fixture in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Sudan’s Falcons will take place at the Cape Coast Stadium.

Ghana will now host Sudan in the first leg on Friday, October 11, before heading to Libya for the return leg at the Martyrs of February Stadium on Monday, October 14.

The Black Stars, who are aiming for their fifth continental title, have yet to secure a win in the qualifiers.

Otto Addo’s side lost 1-0 to Angola at Baba Yara Stadium and were held to a 1-1 draw by Niger in Berkane.

Ghana currently sits third in Group F with just one point from two matches.

Meanwhile, during an appearance at the Parliamentary Select Committee on Sports last week, Sports Minister Mustapha Ussif and National Sports Authority (NSA) Board Chairman Seth Panwum assured that the game against Sudan would indeed be played in Ghana.

READ ALSO

• 2025 AFCONQ: CAF inspects Accra and Cape Coast Stadia for possible approval
• He is not a team player – West Ham explains Mohammed Kudus substitution against Brentford

The venue for the matchday three games is yet to be officially confirmed after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) banned the Baba Yara Stadium due to its unplayable surface.

Despite some reports indicating the game might take place in Ivory Coast, Seth Panwum, who is the Board Chairman of the NSA maintained that, the Cape Coast and Accra Sports stadia are fit to hold the match.

“Cape Coast is ready, Accra is ready. Send your (CAF’s) men to come and have a look at it; this is where we are as of now so we are waiting for them (CAF) to come and I can assure you that if they come, the game will be played in Ghana,” he said when appeared before the Parliamentary Select Committee on Sports, Culture and Tourism on Wednesday.

The Black Stars are set to regroup for their doubleheader against Kwesi Appiah’s Sudan next month.

READ ALSO

• National stadia will only be rent out when pitch covers are purchased – NSA
• You are the worst Sports Minister – Mustapha Ussif told

According to JoySports sources, the closure is part of efforts to upgrade the stadia to meet international standards.

This decision follows last week’s directive from the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which prohibited the use of the Baba Yara Sports Stadium for CAF/FIFA senior international matches due to the poor condition of the pitch.

CAF recommended the complete reconstruction of the playing surface at Baba Yara, but it appears the NSA is taking stop-gap measures to ensure that the venue can host the next Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 qualifier against Sudan in October.

In response to the Baba Yara situation, the Ministry of Youth and Sports has directed the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to engage CAF to inspect both the Accra Sports Stadium and the University of Ghana Stadium in Legon to determine if they are suitable for hosting the match.

The GFA has noted that while the Accra stadium is listed in CAF’s database, it still requires significant upgrades.

The Legon stadium, however, does not seem ready to be approved for the game.

On September 6, 2024, the GFA held discussions with the Sports Ministry and the NSA regarding the urgent need to fix the Cape Coast Sports Stadium following the Black Stars’ defeat to the Palancas Negras at the Baba Yara Stadium.

Currently, it appears Ghana might host Sudan in Cape Coast, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

However, should no venue in Ghana meet the necessary standards, the GFA has also considered the option of playing the game in Togo.

The Confederations of African Football [CAF] gave the green light for the facility to replace the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi, which was rejected by the continent’s football governing body.

Meeting a Caf deadline of April 25 to provide its home venue for the May 30-June 14 leg of games, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) submitted the 15,000-capacity Cape Coast facility having had the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi declared unfit to host high-level international games in the category of the AFCON.

The Black Stars placed in Group E to battle for one of two available tickets with Madagascar, Angola and Central African Republic (CAR).

READ ALSO

• Ghana would have won 2010 World Cup if … – Kwesi…

• Ghana to compete in four-nation mini-tournament ahead of Qatar World Cup

Ghana’s first game of the qualifiers will be at home to Madagascar on Wednesday June 1, 2022, with kick off confirmed for 19:00GMT.

The second Group E qualifier follows on Sunday, June 5 – an away trip to the Central African Republic (CAR).

Later in September, the Black Stars will engage in back-to-back games with Angola to mark days 3 and 4 of the qualifiers.

Ghana will be hoping to book a place in the competition next year.

Cape Coast and Accra Sports Stadium will be submitted to CAF for review as the two home venues for the Black Stars for the 2023 AFCON qualifiers subject to approval.

The qualifiers are scheduled for June with Ghana in Group E alongside Madagascar, Angola, and the Central Africa Republic.

The Baba Yara Sports Stadium will not be part of the list as it has been removed from the list of approved venues by CAF to host international matches or category A games.

The stadium was given a one-match approval by CAF to host the 2022 World Cup playoff first leg against Nigeria on March 25.

However, the continent’s football governing body notified the GFA last Thursday in a letter sent to the General Secretary that the stadium does not meet the standard of a modern stadium.

Ghana will host Madagascar in the opening game of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers before playing away to the Central Africa Republic.

READ ALSO

• What Black Stars need to perform at 2022 WC – GFA…

• Baba Yara stadium unfit to host Int’l games – CAF

The Zone B Championship, which serves as qualifiers for the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations, will be staged in the Central Regional capital from Saturday, June 11 to Friday, June 24, 2022.

The tournament will feature host Ghana, defending Champions Cote D’Ivoire, giants Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin and Niger.

The Black Starlets would aim for a ticket to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations after crashing out at the group stages in the previous edition in Togo.

Coach Samuel Fabin’s side has been preparing for this competition since December 2021.