ACCRA – Carlos Queiroz has left his post as Ghana head coach barely a month after returning, leaving the four-time African champions searching for new leadership after a disastrous start to their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) announced on Thursday, 1 October, that the Portuguese coach’s contract had been terminated by mutual consent. His departure followed consecutive defeats to Ivory Coast and The Gambia, with back-to-back qualifiers against Somalia approaching in November.
Ghana sit bottom of Group C without a point, six behind both Ivory Coast and The Gambia. With four matches remaining, the Black Stars still have time to recover, but little room for further setbacks.
The immediate task is to appoint a coach capable of restoring confidence to a side that conceded six goals in its opening two qualifiers.
“This was not an easy decision,” Queiroz said in his farewell statement, explaining that both parties had agreed to end the relationship in the interests of Ghanaian football.
The manner of Tuesday’s defeat in Accra made an already difficult position worse.
Ernest Nuamah and Felix Afena-Gyan put Ghana 2-0 ahead against The Gambia, raising hopes of a first qualifying victory. Instead, the visitors scored four unanswered goals to win 4-2 at the Accra Sports Stadium.
That collapse followed a 2-0 away defeat to Ivory Coast, leaving Ghana chasing the group leaders almost as soon as the campaign had begun.
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Queiroz’s second spell lasted just two competitive matches.
The 73-year-old first took charge in April, replacing Otto Addo ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Ghana reached the knockout stage for the first time since 2010 after beating Panama and drawing with England, before a 1-0 defeat to Colombia ended their campaign in the Round of 32.
His initial mandate ended after the tournament, but the GFA brought him back on 2 September. The renewed partnership unravelled within weeks.
Across his time in charge, Queiroz recorded one win, two draws and four defeats in seven matches.
The November double-header against Somalia now offers Ghana an opportunity to revive their campaign. Somalia are also without a point, while Ivory Coast and The Gambia have won both their opening matches.
Two victories would put Ghana back into contention. Dropped points would leave them facing an even more difficult task in their remaining fixtures against the group leaders.
The qualifying schedule places the next two matchdays in the international window from 9 to 17 November, with the final round of games scheduled for March 2027. The top two teams in Group C will qualify.
The tournament will be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from 19 June to 17 July 2027, returning AFCON to East Africa for the first time since Ethiopia hosted it in 1976.
For Ghana, the prospect of missing another tournament adds urgency to the coaching decision. The Black Stars failed to qualify for the 2025 edition in Morocco, and another unsuccessful campaign would mean consecutive absences for one of Africa’s most decorated national teams.
Whoever succeeds Queiroz will inherit a side short on confidence and already chasing a six-point deficit. The first test comes in November, when Ghana need results against Somalia to keep their qualification hopes within reach.
