Reports indicate that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has granted pre-approval to two Ghanaian stadiums for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
In the upcoming November, the initial phase of the qualifiers is set to commence, with the Accra Sports Stadium and Cape Coast Sports Stadium being the sole Ghanaian venues approved for these matches.
Ghana finds itself placed in Group I, alongside Mali, Madagascar, the Central African Republic, the Comoros, and Chad.
With a revised format featuring nine groups, as announced on May 19, 2023, the qualification dynamics have evolved. In this updated structure, five teams will now secure qualification instead of the previous four.
The teams have been allocated to nine groups, each comprising six teams. The victor of each group will earn a direct slot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Meanwhile, the four most outstanding group runners-up will engage in playoffs to determine which team will progress to the inter-confederation play-offs.
These nine groups will participate in a home-and-away round-robin contest. The group winners will secure their places in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Simultaneously, the four most impressive group runners-up will be selected for playoffs, to determine the CAF representative for the inter-confederation play-offs.
Ghana’s World Cup qualification journey will commence with a home match against Madagascar, followed by an away fixture against Comoros, scheduled between November 13-21, 2023.