ACCRA, Aug. 21– Ghana’s Black Queens will play Ecuador, Uzbekistan and Papua New Guinea in the preliminary phase of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 play-off tournament following Thursday’s draw.
Ghana will begin its campaign against Ecuador before facing Uzbekistan and then Papua New Guinea in its final group match. The Black Queens secured their place in the playoff tournament by defeating neighboring Cote d’Ivoire 2-1 on August 13.
The victory kept Ghana’s World Cup hopes alive after the team had been eliminated by Malawi in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
The preliminary phase will be played during the international window from November 24 to December 5. Each team will play three matches, with the top two teams in the group advancing to the final phase.
The final phase of the playoff tournament is scheduled for February and March 2027, with teams competing for places at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
Ghana last appeared at the Women’s World Cup in 2007, when the tournament was hosted by China. The Black Queens have failed to qualify for each edition since, making a return to the global stage a major target for the team. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
