Black Queens head coach Kim Lars Björkegren believes the upcoming clash against Nigeria will be a crucial benchmark of the team's readiness for the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).

Following friendly victories over Malawi and Benin, the Swedish tactician is looking forward to a tougher challenge to gauge the squad’s true level.

Speaking after Ghana’s 4-2 win over Benin, Björkegren acknowledged the value of recent friendlies but stressed that facing Nigeria will provide a more accurate measure of the team’s progress.

“With full respect to Malawi and Benin, Nigeria is one step up. One of the best teams in Africa with good players in almost every position,” he noted.

“That’s also what we need now because we’ve shown that our lowest level is high enough.

We know we can score goals, and we’ve built a good defence. It’s going to be fun to match up against one of the best.”

Reflecting on the Benin game, Björkegren praised the team’s fighting spirit and second-half performance, saying, “It was a good game with a great second half.

We struggled a little in the middle of the first half, but once we took control and played football, we were clearly the better side.”

He also emphasized the importance of squad depth ahead of the tournament: “We can’t rely on just 11 players. We need more ready to play, and I want to use as many as possible.”

Ghana will face arch-rivals Nigeria in their final pre-WAFCON test on Sunday, June 29, 2025, in what is expected to be a high-intensity encounter before the team heads to Morocco.