Kudus, Jordan Ayew Return as Ghana Seek AFCON Qualifying Revival

Ghana have received a major boost ahead of their must-win Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Somalia on Thursday, with Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Mohammed Kudus returning to the squad after an injury lay-off.

The 26-year-old missed the 2026 World Cup and Ghana’s AFCON qualifying defeats to Ivory Coast and Gambia two months ago. Veteran captain Jordan Ayew, who plays for English second-tier side Sheffield United, is also back as the four-time African champions attempt to revive their Group C campaign.

However, Ghana will be without injured Manchester City winger Antoine Semenyo when they face Somalia, who are ranked 130 places below them in the world standings.

Ghana’s defeat to Ivory Coast in Abidjan was widely anticipated, but their 4-2 home loss to Gambia was a major setback. The Black Stars had taken a two-goal lead before surrendering the advantage, a result that prompted Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz to resign.

Swedish coach Kim Lars Bjorkegren, who manages Ghana’s women’s national team, has been placed in temporary charge of the men’s side while the search for a permanent replacement continues.

Ghana will play both fixtures against Somalia at home in Essipong because of the security situation in the Horn of Africa country. Somalia’s preparations in Accra were disrupted after security personnel ordered the team to leave a university stadium and move to another training location.

The Black Stars are targeting six points from the two matches to return to contention before the final two matchdays in March. Meanwhile, Group C co-leaders Ivory Coast and Gambia will also meet twice, with fixtures scheduled in Abidjan and Bakau.

Nigeria are among the other teams facing pressure after a poor start to qualifying. The Super Eagles struggled to beat Madagascar at home before suffering a 3-0 away defeat to Guinea-Bissau in Group L. They will face Tanzania without injured striker Victor Osimhen.

Cape Verde are also at risk of missing a second consecutive AFCON after defeats to Mali and Rwanda. They face fellow Group K strugglers Liberia twice, with coach Humberto Bettencourt needing victories to revive their qualification hopes following Bubista’s departure.

Tunisia, meanwhile, have turned to local coach Mouin Chaabani after a disappointing run that included defeats at the 2026 World Cup and home draws against Uganda and Botswana in qualifying. They face Libya in Group H as they attempt to get their campaign back on track.