Ivory Coast vs Ghana prediction: AFCON 2027 Qualifiers preview, team news, lineups & h2h

• The Ivory Coast vs Ghana prediction article for AFCON 2027 Qualifiers breaks down form, key players, odds and H2H meetings ahead of the clash.
• The two sides will lock horns on Thursday September 24 in Bouake.
• Kick off set for 10pm EAT.

A thrilling fixture awaits on Thursday night, when Ivory Coast host Ghana in the opening round of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers at the Stade de la Paix in Bouaké.

This is arguably the most anticipated fixture of the opening round, as the former champions have been pooled together in Group C alongside Somalia and The Gambia.

The West African rivals enter this qualifier fresh off highly respectable performances at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where both teams successfully navigated their groups to reach the global Round of 32.

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Ivory Coast showed great character on the world stage few weeks ago, earning impressive group-stage victories over Ecuador and Curacao, alongside a narrow 2–1 defeat to Germany, before bowing out in a hard-fought 2–1 loss against Norway.

They also proved their elite capability just before the tournament by shocking the football world with a 2–1 friendly victory over France and a 1–0 win over Scotland.

Ghana matched their rivals’ deep tournament run with an impressive World Cup campaign of their own.

The Black Stars secured their knockout spot by defeating Panama and grinding out a superb 0–0 draw against England, though they dropped a group game to Croatia before ultimately being eliminated in a narrow 1–0 knockout loss to Colombia.

Now, with both sides possessing considerable attacking quality, this early heavyweight meeting could set the tone in a group where The Gambia and Somalia will also be seeking to challenge.

The Gambia host Somalia in their opening fixture before travelling to Accra to face Ghana on 29 September. Côte d’Ivoire’s second assignment is against Somalia. The CAF schedule shows the same opening sequence for Group C.

The two sides will meet on Thursday, September 24, at the Stade de la Paix in Bouake, with kick-off set for 10pm East Africa Time.

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Herve Renard has begun his second spell in charge of the Elephants by selecting eight newcomers in a 25-man squad, including Patrick Zabi, Eddy Doue, Amadou Kone, Malick Yalcouye, Christ Tape, Kassoum Ouattara, Yann Gboho and Rayan Fofana.

However, the coach has been left scratching his head as the squad will be without Manchester United’s Amad Diallo and Wilfried Singo due to pre-existing injuries.

On the other hand, Ghana’s camp has been dealt an even heavier tactical blow with the official withdrawal of talismanic playmaker Mohammed Kudus.

While Kudus was initially named in Carlos Queiroz’s squad following a lengthy seven-month layoff, the decision was made jointly with Tottenham to keep him in London, protect his ongoing recovery and avoid a major setback.

Compounding Ghana’s problems, defender Nathaniel Adjei is out injured, while forward Prince Adu Kwabena remains a major fitness doubt.

• Ivory Coast: Fofana, Konan, Ndicka, Diomandé, Operi, Kessié, Sangaré, Koné, Pépé, Bonny and Diamonde Yann.
• Ghana: Ati-Zigi, Seidu, Djiku, Salisu, Mensah, Owusu, Samed, Issahaku, Ayew, Nuamah and Semenyo.

These two sides are no strangers to the football scene, although recent meetings have been rare and tightly contested.

Their most recent senior clash was a 0–0 friendly in Ghana on June 12, 2021. Before that, they split their 2015 CHAN qualifiers, with Ghana winning 2–1 at home before the Elephants claimed the return leg 1–0.

The biggest meeting of them all was the 2015 AFCON Final in Equatorial Guinea: 120 minutes, no goals, and a dramatic 9–8 penalty shootout that finally went Ivory Coast’s way.

With only six matches available to each team, the opening double-header offers little room for a slow start as the race for places at East Africa’s first AFCON in 51 years gets underway.

These two nations have strong defensive and attacking profiles, so this could be a closely fought encounter.

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As much as it is difficult to predict, Ghana have a slight edge on paper, with the likes of red-hot Antoine Semenyo capable of making the difference.

That said, Côte d’Ivoire are no pushovers. They have plenty of quality throughout the squad and can certainly get on top of this game if their key players click on Thursday.