National Sports Authority (NSA) Director-General Yaw Ampofo Ankrah has cautioned that Ghana must urgently upgrade the Accra Sports Stadium if the country is to host home matches in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
Speaking on Akoma 87.9 FM, Ampofo Ankrah said he had raised the issue during a meeting with the Ghana Football Association (GFA) President, stressing that the current state of the facility does not meet the required standards.
“I had a meeting with the GFA President, and I told him point-blank that, as things stand, we cannot host the AFCON 2027 qualifiers unless significant work has been done on the stadium.”
Ghana has been drawn in a qualifying group alongside Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia and Somalia. The Black Stars are expected to open their campaign away to Côte d’Ivoire in September before hosting Gambia in October.
According to the NSA Director-General, the Accra Sports Stadium is currently the only facility in Ghana approved to host CAF-sanctioned international matches. However, he said the stadium still requires substantial rehabilitation and improvements to ensure it is suitable for the upcoming fixtures.
He warned that the condition of the facility remains a major concern and called for urgent action to prevent Ghana from losing the opportunity to play its home matches on its own soil.
Ampofo Ankrah also disclosed that Niger has approached the GFA with a request to use the Accra Sports Stadium as its home venue for the 2027 AFCON qualifiers.
“Niger has written to the GFA requesting to use the Accra Sports Stadium as their home venue for the 2027 AFCON qualifiers.”
The request underscores the growing importance of the stadium as a potential venue for international matches, both for Ghana and other countries seeking approved facilities in the region.
With the qualifiers drawing closer, the NSA, Ministry of Sports and other relevant stakeholders are expected to speed up rehabilitation efforts to bring the stadium up to the required standard and prevent the Black Stars from having to play their home fixtures outside Ghana.
By: Prince Martey-Sogar