Following the draw for the inter-confederation Play-Off Tournament preliminary phase, Ghana’s Black Queens will play three other nations in their attempt to earn a spot in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027.
The Queens will compete in an important preliminary phase from November 24 to December 5, 2026, against Ecuador, Uzbekistan, and Papua New Guinea.
Ghana’s Play-Off Schedule:
Ghana vs. Ecuador in November 2026; Ghana vs. Uzbekistan in November 2026; and Ghana vs. Papua New Guinea in December 2026
The precise match dates and venue information will be announced later. The preliminary round will take place at a central location. FIFA has set the international window’s preliminary phase to start on November 24 and go until December 5, 2026.
After losing out on automatic qualification through the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations route, Ghana now has another chance to compete internationally.
After overcoming Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana earned one of Africa’s two spots in the preliminary round alongside South Africa, securing their spot in the inter-confederation play-offs.
Ghana, South Africa, Ecuador, Uzbekistan, Chinese Taipei, and Papua New Guinea are the six teams competing in the preliminary stage. For the draw, Uzbekistan and Chinese Taipei were in Pot 1, and Ghana and Ecuador were in Pot 3.
The initial stage is not a typical group stage. Each of the six participating teams will play three games in each of the three paths. The two top-performing teams from the preliminary round will move on to the Play-Off Tournament’s final round in February 2027.
After that, those two teams will join four countries that advance straight to the championship round. One of the three remaining spots at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup will be awarded to the victor of each of the three knockout stages into which the six teams will be split.
Ghana will place in the top two and win the pivotal final-phase encounter if they do well in all three of the preliminary games.
The first matchup with Ecuador will be especially crucial. The Black Queens would have confidence and momentum going into their second match against Uzbekistan if they had a successful outcome.
The final preliminary match against Papua New Guinea offers Ghana another chance to earn the points and goal differential required to place in the top two, and the match against Uzbekistan may also be important.
Three games in a short amount of time might make squad depth, fitness, tactical discipline, and consistency crucial.
Ghana has not played in the FIFA Women’s World Cup since 2007, so they are very up to 20 years away from competing in the biggest women’s football competition in the world. In 1999, 2003, and 2007, Ghana participated in the Women’s World Cup.
Brazil 2027 therefore offers the Black Queens a historic opportunity to end that long absence.
The 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup will be held in Brazil from June 24 to July 25, 2027, with Brazil becoming the first South American country to host the women’s tournament.
If the Black Queens can rise to the occasion, Ghana could finally return to the FIFA Women’s World Cup stage after 20 years.