Ghana are on the cusp of football history as they face Côte d'Ivoire in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying opener — a fixture in which the Black Stars have never managed a single victory.

Thursday's Group C encounter at the Stade de la Paix in Bouaké marks the third time these two West African rivals have been drawn together in AFCON qualifying, and Ghana's record in those previous meetings makes for grim reading: three defeats and one draw from four matches.

A rivalry defined by Ivorian dominance

The qualifying head-to-head stretches back to October 1973, when both nations met in the second round for the 1974 AFCON. Côte d'Ivoire hammered Ghana 3-0 in Accra before completing the job with a 1-0 win in Abidjan the following month.

More than a decade later, the sides were paired again during qualification for the 1986 edition. The Elephants were equally dominant, winning the first leg 2-0 in Abidjan before holding Ghana to a 0-0 draw in Kumasi to advance with ease.

The irony is not lost on Black Stars supporters: Ghana have beaten Côte d'Ivoire at the AFCON finals themselves — in 1965, 1968, 1996, and 2008 — yet across more than 36 meetings since 1965, the qualifying series remains a blank for them against their fiercest rivals.

Ghana arrive depleted, Côte d'Ivoire buoyed by home advantage

Carlos Queiroz heads into the fixture without several key players. Mohammed Kudus, Antoine Semenyo, Jordan Ayew, and Thomas Partey are all absent, leaving Ghana's attack and midfield considerably weakened. The Black Stars also carry the weight of having failed to qualify for the 2025 AFCON.

Côte d'Ivoire, by contrast, welcome back coach Hervé Renard and enjoy the comfort of home support in Bouaké. Renard can call upon experienced campaigners including Franck Kessié, Nicolas Pépé, and Yan Diomandé as the three-time continental champions look to assert early dominance in Group C.

Group C also features The Gambia and Somalia, meaning a positive result on Thursday would give either side a commanding platform for the rest of the campaign. For Ghana, the stakes are even higher — a win would not only break a long-standing qualifying hoodoo but signal a genuine revival after the heartbreak of missing out on the last edition of the tournament.