Mercy Tagoe-Quarcoo confident Black Queens can qualify for 2027 Women’s World Cup

Former Black Queens head coach Mercy Tagoe-Quarcoo remains confident Ghana can qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup despite missing out on automatic qualification at WAFCON.

Ghana’s hopes of securing a direct route to the tournament in Brazil were hit by a 2-1 quarter-final defeat by Malawi at the Al Madina Stadium in Rabat.

The result means the Black Queens must now take the longer route through the WAFCON play-in tournament, starting with a crucial meeting with Côte d’Ivoire on Thursday, 13 August.

Victory over the Ivorians would keep Ghana’s World Cup hopes alive and secure a place in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Play-Off Tournament.

Tagoe-Quarcoo, who previously represented Ghana as a player and also worked as a FIFA referee, believes the Black Queens can still reach the global tournament.

“I believe that Ghana will qualify for the Women’s World Cup, and I am confident about that,” she told Asempa FM.

“However, the only challenging aspect is that the playoff games are a lot, and that could affect the team.”

The new qualification route gives teams eliminated in the WAFCON quarter-finals another chance to reach the expanded 2027 Women’s World Cup.

The play-off tournament will feature teams from different confederations competing for the remaining places at the finals in Brazil.

The opening phase is scheduled to take place in November and December 2026 at a centralised venue. Six teams, including two from Africa, will compete for places in the final stage.

The two best-performing teams from that phase will advance to the final round in February 2027, where they will be joined by four teams from Concacaf, CONMEBOL and UEFA.

Those six sides will then be divided into three knockout paths, with the winner of each path earning a place at the Women’s World Cup.

For Ghana, though, the wider qualification picture can wait.

The immediate task is Côte d’Ivoire.

With their hopes of automatic qualification gone, the Black Queens know there is little room for error. A victory on Thursday would give them another chance to chase a place on the biggest stage in women’s football.

And Tagoe-Quarcoo believes Ghana still has the quality and resilience required to complete the journey.

Jamaldeen Wiayuka

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