They are a very good team,” Okraku said of Ghana’s West African neighbours, adding that he expects an “interesting” contest despite the difficulty of the assignment.
The fixture carries added weight given Ghana’s absence from the last Africa Cup of Nations, after the Black Stars failed to qualify for the tournament for the first time in more than two decades.
That psychological block of losing games, I think, doesn’t exist anymore within this team. We’ll go to Côte d’Ivoire in full confidence, and we’ll be competitive.” Kurt Okraku, GFA President
Okraku pointed to Ghana’s showing at the 2026 World Cup as evidence of a squad on the rise, noting that the Black Stars entered the tournament as its lowest-ranked participant and emerged ranked 24th in the world.
He described that progression as proof that Ghana can “compete at the highest level,” and said the organisation the team displayed in North America had carried over into the group’s mentality heading into the qualifying campaign.
Asked directly whether Queiroz would remain in the dugout for the Côte d’Ivoire and Gambia fixtures, Okraku declined to confirm a name but said the process was effectively complete.
Ghana would have a coach before we regroup,” he said, describing the appointment as “99% in place” and stressing that the individual in question was “already working” with the set-up. What remains, he added, is procedural: the two parties are “at that last line where we have to sign papers and formalise the relationship.”
Pressed further on the identity of the incoming coach, Okraku kept the matter under wraps, joking that he could not yet say “as to whether it will be Kurt, as to whether it will be Michael.” He maintained that the Association has “a machinery in place” and is actively working to close out the appointment ahead of the squad’s reassembly for the September window.