Carlos Queiroz’s long-term Black Stars rebuild enters its first meaningful examination in Bouaké on Thursday, where Ghana face Côte d’Ivoire at the start of a potentially defining 16-day international window that could shape both their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations campaign and the direction of the national team beyond it.
The opening Group C qualifier against the Elephants is only the beginning. Ghana return home to face The Gambia in Accra on September 29 before meeting Morocco in a friendly on October 4 — three matches offering Queiroz an unusually valuable block of competitive and high-level preparation time to impose his ideas on a team still searching for stability.
For a coach handed a new two-year contract this month after completing his initial four-month assignment, the opportunity comes with pressure.
Ghana failed to qualify for the 2025 AFCON — their first absence from the continental championship since 2004 — and Thursday’s match represents Queiroz’s first competitive assignment against African opposition since his long-term future was confirmed.
His task is therefore immediate and strategic: secure qualification while simultaneously constructing a team capable of restoring Ghana’s continental authority and sustaining the country’s World Cup pedigree.
“Hands on the present, eyes on the future,” Queiroz said, setting out the philosophy behind his new mandate.
“The priority is very clear: absolute focus on AFCON qualification, with our eyes set on the 2030 World Cup.”
“This is the moment to start building the team for 2030, a team truly capable of honouring Ghana’s extraordinary World Cup legacy.”
That rebuild, however, has already encountered turbulence. Queiroz has been forced into late changes after injuries and withdrawals removed several established players from his original squad, including Mohammed Kudus, Thomas Partey, Elisha Owusu, Abdul Mumin, Prince Adu Kwabena and Nathaniel Adjei.
Kudus’ absence is particularly significant after the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder missed the 2026 World Cup through injury.
The setbacks have prompted late call-ups for Brandon Thomas-Asante, Alidu Seidu, Jonas Adjetey and Mohammed Fuseini, testing the depth Queiroz will need if Ghana are to negotiate both qualification and the longer rebuilding process.
Yet the 73-year-old remains confident the available players can compete with Côte d’Ivoire and make a strong start.
He will look to captain Jordan Ayew, Caleb Yirenkyi, Abdul Fatawu Issahaku, Antoine Semenyo, Kojo Oppong Peprah, Gideon Mensah and Alexander Djiku among others to carry the challenge in Bouaké.
The Ivorians, meanwhile, have named a 29-man squad featuring Franck Kessié, Malick Yalcouyé, Yan Diomande, Ange-Yoan Bonny, Nicolas Pépé and Bazoumana Touré.
Queiroz expects little between the sides and views the contest as close to an even proposition, acknowledging the individual quality within the Ivorian squad while maintaining confidence in Ghana’s own strengths.
History adds another layer to the importance of Thursday's fixture. Ghana have won 13 of their 36 meetings with Côte d’Ivoire, compared with five Ivorian victories, while 18 encounters have ended in draws.
But two of those defeats remain among the most painful in Black Stars history: Côte d’Ivoire beat Ghana on penalties in the 1992 AFCON final in Senegal and repeated the heartbreak in the 2015 final in Equatorial Guinea.
Hervé Renard, who masterminded that 2015 triumph, is back in the Ivorian technical set-up, adding further intrigue. The Frenchman also has a Ghana connection, having begun his African coaching journey in the country under former Black Stars coach Claude Le Roy.
For Queiroz, though, Thursday is less about history than evidence.
His football came under scrutiny during the World Cup, where Ghana reached the Round of 32 but drew criticism from those who felt his emphasis on defensive organisation constrained the Black Stars’ attacking tradition.
He remains emphatically unmoved. “Tell me one coach who lost their job because of style,” Queiroz said. “Coaches lose their jobs because of results, not styles. Winning makes the style. That’s the law of the game.”
The former Portugal and Real Madrid coach, who led Egypt to the 2021 AFCON final, rejects the description of his approach as defensive.
“I don’t call it defensive football,” he said. “I call it fighting for the ball for us to attack and try to score and win.”
This new phase also begins with a reshaped technical team. Former Black Stars midfielder Godwin Attram has replaced Desmond Ofei as assistant coach, with Ofei reassigned to focus on the Black Meteors.
Former Black Stars assistant coach John Paintsil has also moved to the Black Satellites as assistant coach.
