Ghana Black Queens beat Côte d’Ivoire 2-1 to reach World Cup playoffs

Ghana’s Black Queens secured a place in the Intercontinental World Cup Playoffs following a 2-1 comeback victory against Côte d’Ivoire. The result ensures that Ghana will participate in the first phase of the playoffs this December.

Despite controlling much of the possession during the match, Ghana entered the halftime interval trailing 1-0. Côte d’Ivoire took the lead before the break through a successful penalty kick, leaving the Black Queens to chase the game in the first half.

The Black Queens improved their performance significantly after the restart to find an equalizer via a header. This goal restored parity and shifted the momentum of the encounter in Ghana's favour as they sought to overturn the deficit.

Josephine Bonsu, who plays in Germany, secured the win late in the game. She stepped up to take a penalty kick and calmly converted the spot-kick to make the final score 2-1 and complete the turnaround.

Ghana now moves to Phase 1 of the Intercontinental Playoffs in December. They will compete against either South Africa or Nigeria to determine qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. This victory brings the Black Queens one step closer to securing a place at the global tournament.