Former Black Queens head coach Mercy Tagoe-Quarcoo remains confident Ghana can secure qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup despite missing out on automatic qualification at the ongoing Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
Ghana’s hopes of securing a direct place at the World Cup were dented after the Black Queens suffered a 2-1 defeat to Malawi in the quarter-finals at the Al Madina Stadium in Rabat.
The defeat means Ghana must now navigate the WAFCON play-in route, beginning with a crucial encounter against Côte d’Ivoire on Thursday, August 13.
A win over the Ivorians would earn the Black Queens a place in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Play-Off Tournament and keep alive their hopes of reaching the 2027 global tournament in Brazil.
Tagoe-Quarcoo, a former Black Queens player and FIFA referee, believes Ghana still has a strong chance of making it to the World Cup.
“I believe that Ghana will qualify for the Women’s World Cup, and I am confident about that, but the only challenging aspect is that the playoff games are a lot, and that could affect the team,” she told Asempa FM’s Ultimate Sports Show.
The WAFCON play-in was introduced to give teams eliminated at the quarter-final stage another route to World Cup qualification.
The FIFA Women’s World Cup Play-Off Tournament will bring together teams from different confederations to compete for the remaining places at the 2027 tournament.
The first phase of the play-off tournament is scheduled to take place at a centralised venue in November and December 2026, with six teams, including two representatives from Africa, competing for progression to the final stage.
The two best-performing teams from the opening phase will advance to the final stage in February 2027, where they will be joined by four teams from Concacaf, CONMEBOL and UEFA.
The six teams will then be divided into three knockout paths, with the winner of each path securing a place at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
For Ghana, the immediate task is to overcome Côte d’Ivoire and take another step towards securing a place at the global tournament.
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