Number of times Black Stars failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations

The Black Stars of Ghana have failed to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, having missed out on the required points in Group F in the ongoing qualifiers.

Ghana has won the tournament four times: in 1963, 1965, 1978, and 1982, with the latter being their most recent triumph.

Pulse Sports Ghana looks at the number of times Ghana has failed to qualify for the tournament.

1962 AFCON (Ethiopia)

Ghana failed to qualify for the 1962 Africa Cup of Nations. Seven African nations entered the competition, with Ethiopia and Egypt automatically qualifying as the host nation and defending champions, respectively. Following withdrawals from Sudan and Morocco, only five teams competed for the remaining two spots. Ghana drew 0-0 with Nigeria in the first leg and 2-2 in the second, with Nigeria advancing on goal difference, eliminating Ghana from the qualifiers.

1972 AFCON (Cameroon)

Despite having won the trophy in 1963 and 1965, Ghana did not qualify for the 1972 Africa Cup of Nations hosted by Cameroon. A 0-1 defeat to Togo during the qualifiers ended their chances.

1974 AFCON (Egypt)

For the third time, Ghana failed to qualify, losing out after a dramatic qualification against Senegal. After winning 3-2 in the first leg, Ghana lost 2-1 in the second leg, and Senegal progressed after a penalty shootout.

1976 AFCON (Ethiopia)

Ghana's fourth failure came during the 1976 tournament hosted in Ethiopia. They overcame Mali in the first round of qualifiers but were defeated by Morocco in a 6-5 penalty shootout, preventing them from reaching the AFCON that year

1986 AFCON (Egypt)

The Black Stars missed out again in 1986. Despite defeating Guinea with a 5-2 aggregate score, they were denied a place in the tournament after a 0-2 loss to Côte d'Ivoire in the second qualifying round.

1988 AFCON (Morocco)

Ghana suffered a 1-2 loss to Sierra Leone at the Accra Sports Stadium, preventing them from participating in the 1988 tournament in Morocco.

1990 AFCON (Algeria)

The Black Stars faced another disappointment in their bid to qualify for the 1990 Africa Cup of Nations in Algeria. After securing a 1-0 away win against Gabon, they failed to capitalise at home, losing the return leg 0-1. Gabon then triumphed 5-3 in a penalty shootout, marking Ghana's seventh failure to qualify.

2004 AFCON (Tunisia)

In the 2004 qualifiers, Ghana finished with only 4 points in a group alongside Rwanda and Uganda, leading to their eighth failure to qualify.

2025 AFCON (Morocco)

The Black Stars for the first in 20 years have failed to qualify for the AFCON after securing only three points in group F. Otto Addo led team struggled to beat Angola that could possibly put them in good position after Niger had saw off Sudan but the match ended 1-1 forcing the Black Stare to be booted out on the competition

In total, the Black Stars have failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations on nine occasion in the country's history

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