Ghana’s Black Queens have received their fixtures for the preliminary phase of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027 Play-Off Tournament as they continue their quest to return to the global stage.
Following their impressive escape route at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) Morocco 2026, where they defeated Côte d’Ivoire 2-1 in the play-in match, Ghana has been paired with Ecuador, Uzbekistan and Papua New Guinea in the opening phase of the inter-confederation play-offs.
The Black Queens will begin their campaign against Ecuador before facing Uzbekistan and concluding the preliminary phase against Papua New Guinea.
Ghana’s Preliminary Phase Fixtures:
Ghana vs Ecuador
Matchday 1
Uzbekistan vs Ghana
Matchday 2
Papua New Guinea vs Ghana
Matchday 3
The preliminary phase involves six teams — including Ghana, Ecuador, Uzbekistan, Papua New Guinea, South Africa and Chinese Taipei — competing in a league format. Each team will play three matches, and at the end of the competition, the top two teams on the overall standings will qualify for the final phase of the play-offs.
The final phase will bring together the two teams that advance from the preliminary stage alongside four other nations from different confederations. The six teams will then compete in a knockout format, with the three winners earning qualification to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027.
For the Black Queens, this presents another opportunity to end Ghana’s long wait for a return to the Women’s World Cup, having last featured at the tournament in 2007.
After missing out on automatic qualification at WAFCON 2026 following their quarterfinal defeat to Malawi, Ghana has kept their hopes alive and will now focus on navigating the play-off route to Brazil.
The journey begins with Ecuador, Uzbekistan and Papua New Guinea standing between the Black Queens and another chance to compete on football’s biggest stage.
