Ghana must move on from 2025 AFCON qualification failure – Carlos Queiroz

Ghana's national football team coach Carlos Queiroz has called on the Black Stars to move past their recent failure to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). The team, under former coach Otto Addo, finished at the bottom of their qualifying group, collecting just three points from six matches - three losses and three draws.

This marked the first time in over two decades that Ghana missed out on the AFCON finals. Queiroz, a four-time African champion and 73-year-old coach, emphasized the importance of expunging the trauma of not qualifying for the 2025 AFCON, rather than allowing it to define the national team's future. He likened this situation to Italy's repeated failure to qualify for the World Cup, stating that the team's history, reputation, and prestige remain intact despite this setback.

"It's part of the journey," Queiroz said. Ghana is set to kick off their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign against Ivory Coast in Bouaké on Thursday, followed by a home match against The Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium. They will then travel to Morocco for an international friendly against the hosts in Tangier on 4 October. Queiroz believes these upcoming matches are crucial for rebuilding confidence and rectifying the issues that led to Ghana's absence from the 2025 tournament. "Let's together do that job, get rid of that [2025 AFCON] trauma. We have to correct it," he added.