Medeama SC forward Emmanuel Annor couldn’t hide his excitement after earning his first senior call-up to the senior national team of Ghana. 

The 23-year-old was named in interim coach Kim Lars Björkegren’s 26-man squad for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying double-header against Somalia.

The first duel is set for November,12, 2026 at the Essipong Sports Stadium in Sekondi.

Annor has been instrumental this season being involved in six goals contributions and basking two MVP’s in ten games for Medeama SC.

Speaking exclusively to SaharaFootball.net form his bass in Tarkwa, the young found was grateful to earn the call-up.

“Well, first I thank God for everything how far He keeps bringing me, because this is a big platform for me and then I feel so happy and grateful for it all.” he ended.

Ghana will look to bounce back from opening defeats to Côte d’Ivoire and The Gambia as they play Somalia in Essipong.

Ghana’s Black Stars will be desperate to get their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign back on track when they host Somalia at the Essipong Sports Stadium on Thursday, November 12.

The four-time African champions head into the Group C encounter under pressure after suffering defeats in their opening two matches, leaving them bottom of the standings without a point.

Ghana began their campaign with a 2-0 loss away to Côte d’Ivoire before suffering a disappointing 4-2 defeat to The Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium, despite initially taking a two-goal lead.

Their opponents, Somalia, have also endured a difficult start, losing 2-1 to The Gambia before falling 2-0 to Côte d’Ivoire. The Ocean Stars are third in the group with zero points, ahead of Ghana on goal difference.

The meeting therefore presents both nations with an important opportunity to record their first victory of the qualifying campaign and revive their hopes of reaching the tournament.

Ghana will draw confidence from their previous encounters with Somalia. The two sides last met in a two-legged 2006 FIFA World Cup preliminary qualifying tie in November 2003, with the Black Stars winning both matches to secure a 7-0 aggregate victory.

Ghana recorded a 5-0 win in the first encounter before completing the double with a 2-0 victory in the return fixture. The historical record gives the Black Stars an advantage on paper, although the current circumstances present a different challenge.

Somalia, known as the Ocean Stars, will also be eager to upset the hosts and collect their first points. The East African nation has yet to qualify for either the Africa Cup of Nations or the FIFA World Cup, making every qualifying campaign an opportunity to move closer to a historic breakthrough.

For Ghana, however, the stakes are particularly high. Having missed out on the 2025 AFCON in Morocco, the Black Stars cannot afford another disappointing qualifying campaign.

With Côte d’Ivoire and The Gambia already on six points, Ghana will need a strong response in the remaining fixtures to keep their qualification hopes alive. A victory over Somalia would provide a much-needed boost ahead of the return meeting between the two sides on November 16.

The first encounter kicks off at 3:00 pm at the Essipong Sports Stadium, where the Black Stars will be aiming to turn their fortunes around and give their supporters reason to believe again.

Black Stars captain Gideon Mensah has accepted full responsibility for Ghana’s painful 4-2 defeat to The Gambia in Tuesday’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at the Accra Sports Stadium.

Ghana raced to a two-goals lead through Ernest Nuamah penalty on the 27th minute and Afena Gyan on the 38th minute but the opposition crawled back twice to level the score at halftime,2-2.

The scored two goals in the second half to beat the home team by 4-2 leaving, the Black Stars winless in two games, and winless in eight games in the AFCON qualifiers since 2023.

Speaking after the match, in which the hosts threw away a 2-0 lead, Mensah admitted the team fell short of expectations.

“We have to accept that luck wasn’t on our side and we probably didn’t perform as we were supposed to perform,” he said. “As a captain today, I feel like I will also take responsibility for everything that happened today. We are the players and we’re supposed to accept whatever comes from the people that we play for.”

The left-back, who was involved in two key moments that allowed Gambia back into the game, added: “I think also take responsibility for everything that happened on the field today.”

Ghana now sit bottom of Group C without a point after consecutive defeats. Mensah’s comments come as the team looks to regroup and respond in the remaining qualifiers.

Ghana have decided to mutually severe ties with Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz as head coach of Ghana’s national team.

In a joint statement, both parties said the decision was reached “in a spirit of mutual respect” and was in the best interests of Ghanaian football. Queiroz, 73, described the move as difficult but necessary under the current circumstances.

“It has been an honour to serve Ghana and the Black Stars,” Queiroz said. “Despite our commitment and efforts, the necessary conditions were not fully established, and our recent performance added to the decision to bring this journey to an end.”

The veteran coach had been reappointed in early September 2026, less than two months after stepping down following Ghana’s round-of-32 exit at the 2026 World Cup. His second spell began poorly, with the Black Stars losing their opening two 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers — including a 4-2 home defeat to The Gambia after leading 2-0 — leaving them bottom of their group with zero points.

Queiroz, a former Real Madrid manager and long-time assistant to Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, has previously coached Portugal, Iran, Colombia, Egypt, Qatar and Oman. He leaves Ghana having guided the team to the World Cup knockout stage earlier this year.

Ghana football has sunk to an all-time low with many calling for a dissolution of the Ghana Football Association and a total restructuring of our football.

It remains to be seen who with made his successor.