Kurt Okraku confirms CAF has temporarily cleared Sekondi's Essipong Stadium for Ghana's AFCON 2027 qualifier opener against Somalia.
Ghana's Black Stars will play at home in Sekondi after all. GFA President Kurt Okraku has confirmed that the Essipong Stadium has received temporary approval from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to stage the first leg of their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Somalia.
Okraku shared the news during a session with Parliament's Select Committee on Sports. The opening leg is set for November 12, 2026, with the return fixture following just four days later, so the double-header leaves little room for a slow start.
The green light follows recent renovation work at the Western Region venue, which was aimed at lifting its facilities to the standard required for international football. It is not the stadium's first taste of continental clearance either. CAF recently allowed the Black Queens to use Essipong for their Olympic Games qualifier against Mauritius, giving the ground a useful test run.
There is a twist on the other side of the tie. Somalia has no CAF-approved stadium of its own, so the Somali side has secured permission to host Ghana at the Accra Sports Stadium for the return leg. That means the Black Stars will play both matches on home soil.
For Ghana, the priority is simple: use the Essipong atmosphere, take control of the tie early, and start the road to AFCON 2027 with a statement result in Sekondi.
