{
  "id": 8252905,
  "title": "2027 AFCONQ: Carlos Queiroz challenges Ghana to match Africa’s best ahead of Ivory Coast and Gambia games",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/2027-afconq-carlos-queiroz-challenges-ghana-to-match-africas-best",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-18T13:36:30.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Adom Online",
    "slug": "adom-online",
    "url": "https://www.adomonline.com/2027-afconq-carlos-queiroz-challenges-ghana-to-match-africas-best-ahead-of-ivory-coast-and-gambia-games/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ghana's coach Carlos Queiroz has urged his team to elevate their standards and compete against Africa's top football nations ahead of the upcoming 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying campaign. The 73-year-old manager, who has rejoined the senior Ghana national team, emphasized that the Black Stars must acknowledge the level of competition they face and strive to reach the level of the continent's strongest teams. Speaking before the Black Stars' first qualifiers against Côte d'Ivoire and The Gambia, Queiroz highlighted the need to learn from established African sides that have consistently performed well in recent years, including those who regularly compete in Europe's top leagues like the Champions League. Ghana, a four-time AFCON champions, missed out on the 2025 tournament in Morocco, finishing at the bottom of their group. The team will begin their AFCON qualification journey with a challenging away match against Côte d'Ivoire on September 24 at the Stade de la Paix in Bouaké, followed by a home game against The Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium three days later. The squad for the two qualifiers includes a mix of experienced players who participated in the 2026 FIFA World Cup and new faces. After the AFCON qualifiers, Ghana will face an international friendly against Morocco on October 4 in Tanger.",
  "summary": "Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz has challenged the Black Stars to raise their standards and compete with the continent’s leading nations as they prepare to begin their qualifying campaign for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. The 73-year-old, who has returned to lead the senior national team, said the team must acknowledge the level of competition […]",
  "key_points": [
    "Carlos Queiroz challenges Ghana to match Africa's best in 2027 AFCON qualifiers.",
    "Ghana's first AFCON qualifier against Côte d'Ivoire on September 24.",
    "Ghana will face The Gambia at home on September 27 in AFCON qualifiers."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
        "title": "Black Stars: ‘We cannot win AFCON when we have not qualified’ – Carlos Queiroz",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/black-stars-we-cannot-win-afcon-when-we-have-not-qualified-carlos",
        "published": "2026-09-18T13:36:44.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Chronicle Ghana",
        "title": "Ghana name squad for AFCON 2027 qualifying double-header against Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/ghana-name-squad-for-afcon-2027-qualifying-double-header-against-cote",
        "published": "2026-09-18T14:11:24.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}