Ghana’s Black Stars have been eliminated from qualifying for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) following a 1-1 draw against Angola in their Matchday Five clash at the Estádio 11 de Novembro on Friday.
This result marks the end of Ghana’s hopes of participating in the tournament, set to be hosted in Morocco next year, ending a 21-year streak of consistent AFCON appearances.
Speaking after the match, head coach Otto Addo expressed disappointment in the team’s performance and acknowledged Angola’s achievement in securing qualification.
“There’s not much to say. Congratulations to Angola for qualifying for the AFCON. They didn’t have to lose today. You could see they played freely; we were more under pressure, and they pressed us very well and held us down in our half,” Addo said.
Ghana’s qualification campaign has been underwhelming, with the team managing only three draws and suffering two defeats in a group featuring Angola, Sudan, and Niger. These results left the Black Stars without enough points to advance.
Addo pointed to a lack of intensity and focus as major reasons for the team’s poor showing.
“We were missing our intensity, and I think it was not good enough from our side,” he admitted.
The coach also emphasized the importance of capitalizing on home advantage, which Ghana failed to do during the qualifiers.
“In general, we have to look at all the games we played, especially our home games. We lost to Angola, where we were better. In these tournaments, you have to win your home games; very, very important.
“And if you don’t win, it is always difficult to play away and try to win because every nation is strong at home,” he explained.
The Black Stars will conclude their Group F campaign on Monday with a final match against Niger in Accra, though the game holds little significance for Ghana, whose qualification hopes are already dashed.