The Black Stars of Ghana will once again make an appearance at the African Cup of Nations after topping Group C in the 2021 qualifying round.
The four times champions and 5 times runners up were the better side in the group as they picked 13 points out of a possible 18 followed by Sudan with 12, South Africa with 10 and Sao Tome and Principe with 0 point.
The Stars secured back to back wins in the first two games of the qualifying round, defeating South Africa (2-0), Sao Tome de Principe (1-0) before defeating Sudan 2-0 to end the first phase of the qualifying round undefeated.
However, Sudan will go ahead to inflict what will be the Stars’ only defeat in the qualifying phase as they secured a 1-0 over Ghana.
The last two games saw Ghana sharing the spoils with South Africa before defeating Sao Tome de Principe to book their place in the finals next year.
The Black Stars’ appearance in the 2021 edition will be their 23rd time and they will be keen to end their long awaited drought of not winning the competition since Libya 1982.
In here, we provide a head to head analysis of the opponents the Black Stars will be facing in the 2021 African Cup of Nations.
The 2021 AFCON draw
The draw for the 2021 AFCON tournament took place in Yaoundé in Cameroon this evening, with all 24 teams now aware of their opponents for the group stages.
The Black Stars have been drawn in Group C alongside Morocco who were in Pot 1, Gabon and Comoros who will be making their debut in the competition.
Ghana vs Gabon
This will be the 8th time that Gabon will be making an appearance at the African Cup of Nations, with their last outing being in the 2017 finals.
Their best finishes in the competition remain the quarter-finals spots they secured in 1996 and in 2012.
In terms of head to head, Ghana has played Gabon on 11 occasions, with the former winning 5 of those games, losing three and drawing three as well.
The last time Gabon defeated the Stars was in June 2008 during the 2010 World Cup and Nations Cup qualifier.
The Stars have however, won the past two games, winning the return leg of the same qualifying phase and a 2-1 win in a friendly in 2011.
Below are all the games between Ghana and Gabon:
09 Apr 1989 Gabon v Ghana 1-0
23 Apr 1989 Ghana v Gabon 1-0
07 Jul 1991 Gabon v Ghana 0-1
03 Jan 1993 Gabon v Ghana 2-3
10 Nov 1996 Gabon v Ghana 1-1
25 Dec 1996 Ghana v Gabon 1-1
27 Apr 1997 Ghana v Gabon 3-0
29 Dec 1999 Gabon v Ghana 1-1
14 Jun 2008 Gabon v Ghana 2-0
22 Jun 2008 Ghana v Gabon 2-0
15 Nov 2011 Ghana v Gabon 2-1
Ghana vs Morocco
This game will undoubtedly will be the one to look forward to, considering the top and quality players both sides have and the rivalry they have shared in recent years.
Morocco who will be making their 18th appearance at the finals have the upper hand in the 11 times they have played the Black Stars.
They have won 5 of those games, with the recent one being the 1-0 win in June of this year. The Black Stars have managed three wins while the remaining three have ended in a draw.
Below are all the games between Ghana and Gabon:
08 Sep 2007 Ghana v Morocco 2-0
08 Jun 2021 Morocco v Ghana 1-0
02 Apr 1961 Ghana v Morocco 0-0
28 May 1961 Morocco v Ghana 1-0
12 Jan 1997 Ghana v Morocco 2-2
08 Jun 1997 Morocco v Ghana 1-0
13 Jun 1975 Morocco v Ghana 2-0
29 Jun 1975 Ghana v Morocco 2-0
16 Mar 1980 Morocco v Ghana 1-0
21 Jan 2002 Ghana v Morocco 0-0
28 Jan 2008 Ghana v Morocco 2-0
Ghana vs Comoros
Next year’s tournament will be a historic one for Comoros who will be making their first ever appearance at the finals of the AFCON.
They put in some impressive performances in Group G where they placed second behind Egypt and above both Kenya and Togo.
There are no known record of games played between both sides and will thus be the first time Ghana and Comoros will meet in a competitive fixture.
