Former Ghana Football Association (GFA) vice-president George Afriyie believes Ghana has no business talking about football if the Black Stars cannot finish among the top two in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying group.

Ghana have been drawn alongside reigning African champions Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia and Somalia in Group C, with the top two teams qualifying for the tournament.

While Afriyie expects Côte d’Ivoire to be the strongest team in the group, he insists Ghana should have no excuse for failing to beat The Gambia and Somalia.

“Let’s say Côte d’Ivoire is the top team in the group, so let’s take them out,” Afriyie told Graphic Sports.

“But we have no business doing football in Ghana if we can’t beat Gambia and Somalia in picking at least the second spot.”

His comments come after Ghana’s failure to qualify for the 2025 AFCON in Morocco, ending the Black Stars’ long run of appearances at the continental tournament.

The former GFA vice-president believes another failure to qualify would be difficult to defend, especially given the teams Ghana must overcome.

Ghana will open their campaign against Côte d’Ivoire in Bouaké on September 24 before returning home to face The Gambia in Accra three days later.

Somalia complete the group, giving Ghana four opportunities to prove they are still one of Africa’s top football nations.

For Afriyie, however, qualification will not depend only on the quality of players available.

He wants the GFA to put the right structures in place and begin preparations early, particularly around player call-ups, logistics and the management of the Black Stars.

“We must ensure a full Black Stars Management Committee is active and focused on qualification, logistics and player call-up timing, and prepare thoroughly for the qualifiers,” he said.

The opening game against Côte d’Ivoire will also be an early test for head coach Carlos Queiroz, who has been retained after leading Ghana to the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

But while the Ivorians are expected to provide Ghana with their toughest test, Afriyie believes the real measure of the Black Stars’ campaign will be how they perform against The Gambia and Somalia.

For a country with Ghana’s football history, he says, failing to beat those two sides and secure at least second place in the group would be unacceptable.

The Black Stars must now find their way back to the AFCON after missing the 2025 tournament — and, according to Afriyie, anything less than qualification would raise bigger questions than just the result of a few matches.