Ghana could cross swords with arch-rivals Nigeria for a place in the 2026 World Cup to be held in Canada, USA and Mexico.
The Black Stars have been allocated to Pot 2 for the draw. Burkina Faso, South Africa, Cape Verde, DR Congo, Guinea, Zambia, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea are included in Pot 2 with Ghana premised on the latest FIFA rankings.
There will be nine groups of six teams each, and all group winners will advance to the actual competition in accordance with the draw rule. A mini-tournament featuring the top four competitors will determine who advances to an international jump-off.
This suggests that Nigeria, Morocco, Senegal, Algeria, Tunisia, Cameroon, Mali, Egypt, and the Ivory Coast might all be grouped together along with Ghana.
The qualification series matches could be tough and eagerly anticipated as a result of this circumstance.
After overcoming South Korea and losing to Uruguay and Portugal, Ghana defeated Nigeria in the playoff to advance to the 2022 tournament in Qatar, where they finished last in Group H with just three points from three games.
On July 12, 2023, the group draw will eventually take place.
Below are the Pots
Pot 1: Nigeria, Morocco, Senegal, Algeria, Tunisia, Cameroon, Mali, Egypt, Ivory Coast
Pot 2: Ghana, Burkina Faso, South Africa, Cape Verde, DR Congo, Guinea, Zambia, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea
Pot 3: Angola, Benin, Kenya, Mauritania, Congo, Uganda, Madagascar, Guinea Bissau, Namibia
Pot 4: Mozambique, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Togo, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Central African Republic, Malawi, Libya
Pot 5: Niger, Comoros, Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Eswatini, Botswana, Liberia
Pot 6: Lesotho, South Sudan, Mauritius, Chad, Sao Tome, Djibouti, Seychelles, Eritrea, Somalia
The last time Ghana and Nigeria trudged this same path, it ended in a 1-1 draw at Moshood Abiola Sports Stadium in Nigeria. Ghana won the match on away goals, making it the first African nation to secure a spot in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
After the first leg of Nigeria’s playoff went scoreless in Ghana the previous Friday, the majority of the boisterous Nigerian fans had predicted that Nigeria would advance to the World Cup.
However, Francis Uzoho’s mistake allowed Thomas Partey to score the first goal for Ghana in the first minute of the second leg. At the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Nigeria had numerous great opportunities to win the game before William Troost-Ekong’s penalty kick tied it up.
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