The Black Stars of Ghana completed the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers without a win and fell to Niger in a 2-1 defeat at the Accra Sports Stadium on Monday.
Ghana completed the series bottom of the standings in Group F with only three points from a possible eighteen and will not be featuring on the continental front in Morocco next year.
This ends the team’s stunning 10 straight appearance at the AFCON, and it is also 20 years since Ghana were left out of the continental showdown back in 2004 in Tunisia.
Niger began the game on the front foot and grabbed the crucial goal to finish in third place in Group F.
A goal by Rahim Alhassane in a header from a corner was enough to give Niger the breathing space for the first 45 minutes.
However, the Black Stars bounced back in the 68th minute of the second half when Osman Bukari’s perfectly-timed cutback cross found the feet of young debutant Jerry Afriyie who slotted it beautifully past the goalkeeper.
Niger were however far from done on the day. The visitors managed to stun Ghana in the dying minutes like they did in the reverse fixture and grabbed all three points from the hosts this time around.
Mohammed Kudus was then granted the opportunity to restore parity for Ghana in the final minutes of the game but missed from 12 yards, summing Ghana’s poor run in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers.
Ghana had no clue, and Otto Addo’s job is on the line with a sack from the GFA looking imminent now more than ever.
