Ghana must take all six points from their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying double-header against Somalia, interim coach Kim Lars Björkegren said on 11 November 2026, before the first match in Sekondi.

“It’s not a secret that we need all six points, but we need to respect Somalia,” the Swede told reporters.

The two sides meet at the Essipong  Sports Stadium on 12 November 2026, with kick-off at 14:00 GMT. Ghana secured temporary approval from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to host the match there. The return game is set for the same venue on 16 November.

The four-time African champions have lost both their Group C games so far. They were beaten 2-0 by Côte d’Ivoire, then lost 4-2 to The Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium. After two rounds, Côte d’Ivoire and The Gambia had six points each, with Ghana and Somalia still on none.

Only the top two teams in the group qualify for the finals, and each team plays six qualifiers. If Ghana win both games, they reach six points with two rounds left. While Ghana play Somalia, the two leaders face each other, so at least one of them is likely to drop points.

Somalia have kept their defeats narrow. They lost their opener 2-1 to The Gambia in Bakau on 26 September, after substitute Muhammed Badamosi scored in the 83rd minute. Côte d’Ivoire then needed two late goals in Abidjan to beat them 2-0.

The defeat to The Gambia added to the pressure on veteran coach Carlos Queiroz, who returned to lead the side after the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Ghana Football Association (GFA) then gave Björkegren temporary charge for the Somalia games while he remains head coach of the Black Queens, the women’s national team. He first joined the men’s set-up as an assistant in February, when the GFA added five members to the Black Stars’ technical team.

Ibrahim Tanko and Godwin Attram are his assistant coaches, and former Ghana goalkeeper Fatawu Dauda is goalkeepers’ coach.

Captain Jordan Ayew, Mohammed Kudus and Daniel Kofi Kyereh are back in the 26-man squad. Björkegren has also called up four Ghana Premier League players: FC Samartex defender Isaac Afful, Asante Kotoko’s Musa Hamzata, and Medeama SC’s Etse Dogli and Emmanuel Annor.

Ghana did not qualify for the 2025 AFCON in Morocco. Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda will host the 2027 tournament together. The last two rounds of qualifying will be played between 22 and 30 March 2027.