Ghana's Black Queens made a statement in their opening fixture of the 2026 TotalEnergies Women's Africa Cup of Nations, brushing aside tournament debu
Ghana’s Black Queens made a statement in their opening fixture of the 2026 TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, brushing aside tournament debutants Cape Verde 2-0 in a comfortable Group D victory at the Moulay Rachid Stadium in Casablanca on Wednesday.
The Black Queens made a dream start, breaking the deadlock just six minutes into the contest through Doris Boaduwaa, who applied a composed finish from close range after being brilliantly picked out by experienced defender Portia Boakye.
The early strike settled any nerves and allowed Kim Björkegren’s side to dictate the tempo from the front, with Ghana dominating possession and pinning their opponents deep for large spells of the first half.
Cape Verde, appearing at their first-ever WAFCON finals, showed plenty of fight and organisation in defence, frustrating further Ghanaian chances before the break.
But the resistance did not last as Ghana doubled their advantage in the 54th minute, although it came through an unfortunate moment for Cape Verde, as defender Eleia Vieira turned the ball into her own net under pressure from a Ghanaian attack.
The second goal took the sting out of any hopes of a Cape Verdean comeback, and Björkegren turned to his bench to manage the closing stages and protect a clean sheet.
Cape Verde’s afternoon was made harder still in stoppage time when Klaydiana Borges was shown a straight red, leaving the debutants to see out the final minutes with ten players.
Goalkeeper Cynthia Konlan and a disciplined Ghanaian back line ensured the Black Queens began their campaign without conceding, extending their unbeaten record against WAFCON newcomers.
The result gives Ghana, chasing an improvement on their bronze-medal finish at the last edition in 2025, a perfect start in Group D.
Ghana will face a sterner test on August 2 against Cameroon, while Cape Verde regroup to take on Mali in search of their first points at the tournament.
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