CARLOS QUIEROZ NAMES 24 MAN SQUAD FOR AFCON QUALIFIERS AND MOROCCO FRIENDLY
Black Stars Coach, Carlos Quieroz has called 24 players to camp for the upcoming AFCON 2027 qualifiers and a friendly with the Atlas Lions of Morocco between September 24 to October 4th. The Black Stars of Ghana who exited the 2026 World Cup in the round of 32 after a 0-1 lucklustre defeat to Columbia have been placed in Group C, alongside 3 time AFCON Champions, the Elephants of Cote D’Ivoire, the Scorpions of Gambia and the Ocean Stars of Somalia .
The Black Stars would play a total of 6 games in the AFCON 2027 qualifiers in a round robin home and away bases between September 2026 and March 2027 in order to qualify for the AFCON 2027,to be co hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania from 19th June to 17th July 2027.
Hearts of Oak shot stopper Benjamin Asare is the only local based player in the 26 man squad. The Stars would camp in Ghana before starting their campaign on Thursday 24th September at 16HRS GMT at the Bouake Stadium, in Bouake, La Cote D’Ivoire. They would then return home to take on the Scorpions of Gambia at the Ohene Djan Sports Stadium in Accra on Tuesday, 29th September at 19HRS GMT. The final assignment of the Black Stars in this International break would be a friendly match against the current AFCON champions and FIFA 2026 Quarter finalist Morocco at the Grand Stade de Tanger, on Sunday, October 4, 2026 at 7:00 PM (Morocco Local Time).
The Black Stars are currently ranked 65th in the world and 14th in Africa per the last FIFA ranking.
The 24 man Black Stars squad is as follows:
GOALKEEPERS:
Benjamin Asare (Hearts of Oak)
Lawrence Ati-Zigi (St. Gallen)
Joseph Anang (St. Patrick’s Athletic)
DEFENDERS:
Gideon Mensah (FC Koln)
Baba Rahman (PAOK)
Jan Gyamerah (SV Elversberg)
Derrick Luckassen (Red Star Belgrade)
Nathaniel Adjei (Lorient)
Jerome Opoku (Istanbul Basaksehir)
Kojo Oppong Peprah (Fenerbahce)
Alexander Djiku (Spartak Moscow)
MIDFIELDERS:
Kwasi Sibo (Sweihly Club)
Caleb Yirenkyi (Coventry City)
Augustine Boakye (Saint – Étienne)
Ronald Donkor (New York Red Bull)
Ibrahim Sulemana (Sassuolo)
FORWARDS:
Christopher Bonsu Baah (Al Qadishia)
Ernest Nuamah (Lyon)
Mohammed Kudus (Tottenham)
Abdul Fatawu Issahaku (Ipswich Town)
Antoine Semenyo (Manchester City)
Ibrahim Osman (Brighton)
Prince Adu Kwabena (Viktoria Plzen)
Jordan Ayew (Sheffield United)
THE BLACK STARS’Â ITINERARYÂ FOR THE INTERNATIONAL BREAK
AFCON QUALIFIERS
THURS, SEPT 24, 2026
VS COTE D’IVOIRE
AFCON QUALIFIERS
TUES, SEPT 29, 2026
VS GAMBIA
INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY
SUN, OCT 4, 2026
VS MOROCCO
AFCON 2027 Qualification Rules
Co-Hosts: Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda automatically qualify as tournament hosts.
 Groups without hosts (A, B, C, E, F, G, I, J, K): The top two teams from each group qualify for the finals.
Host-Included Groups (D, H, L): Groups containing a host nation (Group D with Kenya, Group H with Uganda, and Group L with Tanzania) only allow the highest-placed team other than the co-host to qualify alongside them.