Ghana captain Jordan Ayew will miss the Black Stars’ opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying matches against Côte d’Ivoire and The Gambia after suffering a groin injury.
The 35-year-old forward sustained the injury while playing for Sheffield United in their defeat to Stoke City over the weekend.
Ayew subsequently joined the Black Stars camp in Accra on Monday night, but further medical assessment has ruled him out of both fixtures.
His absence is another setback for head coach Carlos Queiroz, who has already had to make changes to his squad because of injury concerns and player withdrawals.
Antoine Semenyo has withdrawn from the squad after suffering an ankle problem, while defender Abdul Rahman Baba is also set to miss the qualifiers after picking up a knee injury. Mohammed Kudus, who was initially included in the squad, has also opted to continue his recovery and will not take part in the upcoming assignments.
The Ghana Football Association has responded to the medical concerns by adding several players to Queiroz’s squad, including defenders Jonas Adjetey, Alidu Seidu, Ebenezer Annan and Rockson Yeboah, midfielder Rahim Ibrahim, and forwards Brandon Thomas-Asante, Mohammed Fuseini, Benjamin Tetteh and Felix Afena-Gyan.
Ayew’s absence leaves Ghana without one of its most experienced attacking options as the Black Stars begin their Group C campaign.
Ghana will travel to Bouaké to face Côte d’Ivoire on Thursday, September 24, before hosting The Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium on Tuesday, September 29.
The Black Stars will then travel to Morocco for an international friendly against the Atlas Lions on October 4 to round off their September-October international assignment.
