Ivory Coast and Ghana face off in a heavyweight clash on Matchday 1 of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, with both sides looking to make a fast start to their campaign.
Ayomide Oguntimehin provides the detailed match preview and prediction for the September 24 matchup.
Ivory Coast vs Ghana match preview
Ivory Coast enter this clash aiming for a win to begin their campaign. The Elephants last won the AFCON tournament in 2023 when they defeated Nigeria 2-1 in their home tournament. That triumph was only their third in history, after also winning in 1992 and 2015.
They also reached the quarterfinals of the last edition in Morocco, before they were eventually eliminated by Egypt. Ivory Coast will now battle Ghana, Gambia and Somalia for two automatic tickets from Group C.
Akwaba 🇨🇮#TousDerriereLesElephants#EliminatoiresCAN2027 pic.twitter.com/OiJ4ts9crN
— Équipe Nationale de Football Cote d’Ivoire 🇨🇮🐘 (@equipenatciv) September 22, 2026
Ghana, meanwhile, are in the quest to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations tournament after the 2025 edition in Morocco. The Black Stars have also not progressed beyond the group stages in their last two appearances and will be hoping for a much better qualifying campaign this time around.
Ghana have won the AFCON four times, although their last triumph came as far back as 1982. Since then, they have finished second twice and have finished third once and have also achieved four fourth-placed finishes.
Ivory Coast vs Ghana Head-to-Head
(Last five meetings)
- 12.06.2021 – Ghana 0-0 Ivory Coast
- 08.10.2019 – Ivory Coast 1-3 Ghana
- 30.10.2015 – Ivory Coast 1-0 Ghana
- 18.10.2015 – Ghana 2-1 Ivory Coast
- 08.02.2015 – Ivory Coast 1-0 Ghana
This fixture has been evenly balanced in recent matches, with both teams winning two games each, while one match ended in a goalless draw.
Best betting odds
Over 1.5 Goals – 1.35 (via 1xBet)
Prediction
Both sides will be looking to make a strong start to the clash, which should make the game open and with plenty of chances, with at least two goals likely to be scored.
Recent form: Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast have won six of their last eight games across all competitions, including two wins from four matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament.
The Elephants have also kept five clean sheets during this run of form, conceding multiple times in just two games during this set of games.
📸 Christopher Bonsu Baah bringing the good vibes! 😀#BlackStars pic.twitter.com/FOURxYSHBY
— 🇬🇭 Black Stars (@GhanaBlackstars) September 21, 2026
Recent form: Ghana
Ghana have been very poor in recent matches, recording just one win in their last eight matches across all competitions.
The Black Stars failed to win a single game at the World Cup, and they only managed two clean sheets during this poor run of form.
Player to watch
Antoine Semenyo (Ghana)
Five African footballers to watch in the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League season
Antoine Semenyo will be hoping to use his pace and goalscoring ability to help the Black Stars to a win in this encounter and make a fast start to their qualifying campaign.
