Ghana’s Black Queens will discover their opponents in the preliminary phase of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 Play-Off Tournament when the draw is held in Zurich, Switzerland, on Thursday, August 20.
The draw, scheduled for 2:00 p.m. local time in Zurich, will determine Ghana’s path as the team continues its bid to qualify for next year’s World Cup in Brazil. FIFA has confirmed that the draw will be held at its headquarters in Zurich.
Ghana have been placed in Pot 3 alongside Ecuador based on the FIFA/Coca-Cola Women’s World Ranking as of June 16, 2026. Chinese Taipei and Uzbekistan are in Pot 1, while South Africa and Papua New Guinea occupy Pot 2.
The Black Queens can therefore be drawn against Chinese Taipei, Uzbekistan or Papua New Guinea. They will not face fellow African representatives South Africa because FIFA’s draw rules prevent teams from the same confederation from meeting at this stage.
Ghana secured a place in the play-off tournament after defeating Côte d’Ivoire 2-1 in their WAFCON play-in match. South Africa also qualified after beating Nigeria 2-1, giving Africa two representatives in the inter-confederation play-offs.
The preliminary phase is scheduled for November 24 to December 5, 2026. The six participating teams will play three matches each, with the top two teams advancing to the final phase.
Those two teams will then join four nations that have received direct entry into the final phase. The final phase will determine the three remaining qualifiers for the 2027 World Cup.
The World Cup itself will be hosted by Brazil from June 24 to July 25, 2027, with 32 teams taking part.
