• Home
  • Football

Ivory Coast vs Ghana Preview and Betting Tips - Elephants to Begin AFCON Qualifying Campaign with Win

tolu-shotade
Editor
Last updated: Tue 22 Sep 2026 12:21
Ivory Coast gear up for their opening 2027 AFCON qualifier against Ghana, coming into the game with excellent form after winning six of their last eight matches, including notable victories over France and South Korea. In contrast, Ghana continue to struggle, with just one win in their last ten matches and several key players missing. With home advantage, stable form, and a strong squad managed by Hervé Renard, the Elephants are favourites for a winning start, while Ghana must overcome poor recent performance and major team absences.
Tolu Shotade 2 hours ago
Share this article
Or copy link
  • Ivory Coast are in great form, winning 6 of last 8 matches.
  • Ghana struggling, winless in 9 of last 10 games, missing key players.
  • Ivory Coast favored to start AFCON 2027 qualifiers with a win.
Ivory Coast vs Ghana
Ivory Coast's players pose for a team picture (Getty Images)

Ivory Coast vs Ghana AFCON Qualifier Preview


Ivory Coast will be targeting a positive start when they host Ghana in their opening Group C fixture in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers. 

The Elephants have shown some good form lately and should get the better of their rivals, who are struggling at the moment.

Key Stats


  • Ivory Coast have won six of their last eight matches in all competitions.
  • Ghana are winless in nine of their last 10 matches in all competitions.
  • Ghana have lost seven of their last 10 matches in all competitions. 

Ghana with the Edge


Ghana have seven wins while Ivory Coast have picked up four victories, with seven draws in the last 18 matches. The most recent meeting was a friendly back in 2021, with both teams battling to a 0-0 draw. 

Ivory Coast Showing Good Form


Ivory Coast are regarded as one of the major players in African football and often breeze through these qualifiers. They won the AFCON in 2023 and will be confident of reaching next year’s tournament, with two-time winning manager Hervé Renard now at the helm. 

The Elephants are coming off a solid summer where they won two games at the FIFA World Cup. They progressed to the round of 32 of the tournament before suffering a 2-1 defeat to England. 

Beyond the World Cup, Ivory Coast’s overall form has been solid lately, having won six of their last eight matches in all competitions. Among their results is a 2-1 victory over France, while they also eased to a 4-0 win over South Korea. 

Ghana Still Looking Out of Sorts 


Ghana are four-time AFCON winners but have struggled to hit those heights in recent years. They failed to qualify for the 2025 edition, finishing bottom of a group where Angola and Sudan progressed to the tournament. 

The Black Stars were at this summer’s World Cup, where their only win was a 1-0 victory over Panama in their opening fixture. Carlos Queiroz’s team did reach the round of 32, suffering a 1-0 defeat to Colombia.

Ghana's overall form has been poor lately, having failed to win nine of their last 10 matches in all competitions. They have been beaten seven times in this run, with their heaviest defeat a 5-1 thrashing against Austria in a friendly back in March. 

Team News & Predicted Line-ups

 
Ivory Coast (4-2-3-1): Yahia Fofana; Guela Doue, Odilon Koussounou, Emmanuel Agbadou, Ghislain Konan; Ibrahim Sangare, Frank Kessie; Nicolas Pepe, Christ Inao Oulai, Yan Diomande; Ange-Yoan Bonny.

Jean Michael Seri and Seko Fofana recently retired from the national team, while Amad Diallo misses out as he continues his recovery from injury. Odilon Koussounou should feature at the back for Ivory Coast while Ange-Yoan Bonny is set to lead the line.

Ghana (4-2-3-1): Lawrence Ati-Zigi; Jan Gyamerah, Derrick Luckassen, Jerome Opoku, Gideon Mensah; Caleb Yirenkyi, Kwasi Sibo; Antoine Semenyo, Jordan Ayew, Kamaldeen Sulemana, Brandon Thomas Asante.

Ghana are without key players for this one, with Mohammed Kudus and Nathaniel Adjey among a list of high-profile withdrawals. Forward Brandon Thomas-Asante has earned a late call-up and could be handed a start, while Jordan Ayew is also expected to feature in attack. 

Verdict

Both teams appear to be on different levels at the moment, with Ivory Coast showing some good form lately and winning six of their last eight matches. 

They should get the better of Ghana, who appear to have plenty of problems at the moment.

Best Bet1: Ivory Coast To Win @7/11 at bet365 - 3 Units
Ivory Coast
To Win
@7/11 - 3 Units
Bet £10 Get £30
with bonus code NEWBONUS

Available to new customers only. Make a qualifying deposit of £5 or more and claim the offer within 30 days of registering your account to qualify for 300% of that amount in Bet Credits, up to a maximum of £30 in Bet Credits. Once released, your Bet Credits will be held in your account balance and are non-withdrawable. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Registration required. Time limits and T&Cs apply. The bonus code NEWBONUS can be used during registration but does not change the offer amount in any way. #ad

Bet at bet365
tolu-shotade
Tolu Shotade

Football Writer • 10+ Years as a Betting Analyst, TV & Radio Lead Presenter

Worked as a sports anchor on radio between 2007 and 2012 before switching to television. Tolu was the lead presenter for the Italian Serie A, English Premier League and German Bundesliga on satellite television in Africa and joined SuperSport in 2017. He began writing for freetips.com in 2018 and has a deep knowledge of the African leagues as well as Europe's top 5 leagues including the UEFA Champions League and Europa League. Favourite Sports: Football addict with interests in boxing and tennis.

Read More

Top Betting Sites

special-offer-1Betting offers

Upcoming Events

24 Sep 2026

Ivory Coast v Ghana

days

hours

min

Add to Calendar
Hear more from Freetips.com