- 1 Cote d’Ivoire vs Ghana: Renard begins his reign with the group C showdown everyone wanted
- 2 Cote d’Ivoire: the side that beat France
- 3 Ghana: solid at the back, blunt up front
- 4 Football Prediction Cote d’Ivoire vs Ghana
- 5 First, a word on our free tips
- 6 No obligation on our part
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your role
- 9 Responsible gambling first
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About the images…
Cote d’Ivoire vs Ghana: Renard begins his reign with the group C showdown everyone wanted 
Bouake hosts the clash West Africa had circled in red on Thursday. Cote d’Ivoire meet Ghana at 21:00 Paris time in the opening round of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Group C could be decided by this one. Four nations, two tickets to the finals, and an early straight fight between the two favourites.
Herve Renard takes charge of the Elephants in a competitive match for the first time. It would be hard to imagine a tougher debut than the Stade de la Paix against Ghana.
Both teams arrive off a 2026 World Cup where they made it through the first round. The performances told very different stories, though: Cote d’Ivoire turned heads, while Ghana mostly hung on.
Gambia and Somalia complete the group, which gives this meeting even more weight. The winner on Thursday takes an immediate edge in the race for top spot.
CAF has handed the whistle to Algerian Mustapha Ghorbal, one of the continent’s top officials. That tells you all you need to know about the size of the occasion.
Tickets went on sale in early September and the stadium is expected to be full. Home advantage will matter far more than a footnote on Thursday night.
Ghana have not won since 17 June, when they beat Panama 1-0 at the World Cup. Three games without a win is the worst run either side brings into this one.
Cote d’Ivoire, by contrast, have won five of their last seven matches and scored in every single one. The real story of the night is the gap in attacking form.
Cote d’Ivoire: the side that beat France 
On 4 June, the Elephants went to France and won 2-1 in a friendly. It was the perfect way to kick-start their summer.
At the World Cup, they opened with a 1-0 win over Ecuador, then backed it up with a 2-0 dismantling of Curacao. Two controlled wins, two clean sheets, and a smooth start to the tournament.
Their only first-round loss came against Germany, a 2-1 defeat in a match that stayed alive to the end. No shame in that against a side built like a machine.
Their run ended on 30 June against Norway, who beat them 2-1 after emerging as one of the tournament’s biggest surprises. Norway then went on to knock out Brazil.
Across their seven matches since March, the Ivorians have lost only to Germany and Norway. Along the way came a 4-0 win in South Korea, a 1-0 result against Scotland, and that 2-1 victory over France.
At January’s AFCON, Cote d’Ivoire beat Gabon 3-2, then swept aside Burkina Faso 3-0 before slipping to a 3-2 loss against Egypt. They scored three in each of those wins. The attack was never the issue.
Renard inherits a side that wins, scores and has just gone toe to toe with some of Europe’s best. His real job is tightening the defence, not fixing the attack.
The trip to South Korea in late March remains the standout result of the year. Four goals against a nation used to World Cup finals. That was a statement.
In those seven games, the Elephants have scored 12 goals in total. The front line is already in place. Renard will not need to tear it all up.
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Ghana: solid at the back, blunt up front 
Ghana got through their World Cup group without ever really lighting up the tournament. They beat Panama 1-0 in their opener, then ground out a 0-0 draw with England.
What came next hurt. A 2-1 defeat to Croatia on 27 June, then a 1-0 loss to Colombia on 4 July. Just one goal scored across those two matches.
That is Ghana’s biggest problem in 2026. They can keep things tight when they sit deep, but they create next to nothing once they have to take the initiative.
Their pre-World Cup build-up had already sounded the alarm. They were hammered 5-1 by Austria in late March, beaten 2-1 by Germany three days later, then lost 2-0 to Mexico in May.
On 2 June, Ghana did no better than a 1-1 draw with Wales. Over those four warm-up games, they conceded ten and scored three.
Inaki Williams announced the end of his international career at the start of September. Ghana lose a key attacking outlet just before their hardest away trip of the campaign.
The coach has named his squad for this window, but the attack remains the big unknown. To go to Bouake and get a result with just one goal in their last three competitive games would take something special.
That 0-0 against England on 23 June shows this Ghana side can dig in and stay organised. That is probably the plan again in Bouake.
The problem is that it depends on not conceding early. Against a Cote d’Ivoire side that has scored in its last seven matches, that is a dangerous bet.
Probable Cote d’Ivoire XI: Not announced at the time of publication.
Probable Ghana XI: Not announced at the time of publication.
Football Prediction Cote d’Ivoire vs Ghana
Our prediction: Cote d’Ivoire to win
Cote d’Ivoire have scored in all seven of their last matches, including against Germany and France. Ghana have found the net only once in their last three World Cup games.
The balance is clear: one attack punishes everyone, the other has been running on empty for six months. Add in a roaring Stade de la Paix and a Ghana defence that shipped ten goals in four friendlies in the spring.
Herve Renard knows African football better than most, and he will not want to slip up in front of his own crowd. We are backing a Cote d’Ivoire win.
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