Ghana’s senior women’s national football team, the Black Queens, have taken a firm stand ahead of the second leg of their 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) qualifier against Egypt, announcing a refusal to train and possibly even to play until outstanding bonuses are cleared.
The squad is owed an estimated US $9,500 each in bonus payments, following their bronze-medal finish at the 2024 WAFCON tournament in Morocco. Despite the strong showing, the players say they have endured continued silence from the sports ministry and the Ghana Football Association (GFA) regarding the settlement of the payments, an issue now threatening their qualification campaign.
Ghana entered the qualifying tie with a comfortable first-leg lead over Egypt women’s national football team, yet the impending home fixture scheduled for Tuesday, October 28, at the Accra Sports Stadium has been cast into doubt due to the pay dispute.
The standoff began with a training boycott after the team returned to Ghana, refusing any physical session until the cash is paid. Initial threats had emerged ahead of the first leg in Ismaïlia, but a last-minute compromise saw the team travel. Now, the impasse has deepened.
Unpaid bonuses in African football are not new. From national teams threatened with travel bans to players refusing to leave hotel rooms, disputes over remuneration have frequently disrupted tournaments across the continent.
Behind the scenes, the Black Queens have voiced frustration around being celebrated for performance but consistently overlooked when payment deadlines pass. The players and technical staff argue that timely financial reward is crucial in enabling them to maintain professionalism, meet commitments, and prepare adequately for continental competition.
Although the GFA and the sports ministry have not issued full public responses at the time of writing, the mounting threat of strike action places the team at risk of forfeiting what has been a promising qualification campaign. A collapse in camp morale could reverse their advantage over Egypt, nullify their first-leg lead, and jeopardise their path toward the tournament that will double as a qualifier for the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
From a broader perspective, the situation also raises critical questions about the governance of women’s football in Ghana, particularly around how success is rewarded, how resources are managed, and whether parity is applied between men’s and women’s national teams in bonus payment mechanisms.
As the deadline looms, the sporting authorities must urgently engage with the players, address outstanding payments, and guarantee transparent commitments by which the debts will be settled. Without swift resolution, Ghana risks not only sporting embarrassment but a setback in its efforts to advance the women’s game.
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