GFA President optimistic about Black Queens’ chances at 2026 WAFCON 

Mr Kurt Edwin SimeonOkraku, the President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), is optimistic about the Black Queens’ chances in the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON). 
 
The Black Queens of Ghana were placed in Group D with Cameroon, Mali and Cape Verde for the tournament, scheduled for March 17 to April 3, 2026, in Morocco. 
 
The Black Queens, who finished third at the previous edition, would seek to build on that momentum as they aim for their first WAFCON title and a return to the FIFA Women’s World Cup. 
 
Mr Okraku, in an interview after the draw, expressed confidence in coach Kim Lars Björkegren and his lads for a deeper run in the competition. 
 
“I think that the head coach is very experienced and able to guide the girls. I have no doubt whatsoever that we’ll compete and that we will make it to the World Cup,” Mr Okraku told reporters. 
 
While expectations are naturally high following Ghana’s podium finish at the last WAFCON, the GFA President downplayed external pressure, urging focus and composure ahead of the tournament.  
 
“I think that if it’s about pressure, there’s pressure everywhere. There’s pressure in eating, pressure in laughing, pressure in having a conversation, and there’s pressure in sports. Football is an emotive enterprise, but what’s most important is how you react, how you act, and how you handle such situations,” he said. 
 
Mr Okraku, who is also CAF’s second Vice President, said Ghana’s podium finish last time out showed the team could face any opponent on the continent. 
 
“The ambition of the nation is to win the trophy, and I think that we are not far away from that,” he added. 
 
The top four nations at the 2026 WAFCON would qualify automatically for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.