{"id":4917,"date":"2026-11-05T21:01:23","date_gmt":"2026-11-05T21:01:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/?p=4917"},"modified":"2026-11-05T21:01:23","modified_gmt":"2026-11-05T21:01:23","slug":"black-stars-somalia-afcon-qualifiers-essipong-stadium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/05\/black-stars-somalia-afcon-qualifiers-essipong-stadium\/","title":{"rendered":"Black Stars to Play Both Somalia AFCON Qualifiers at Essipong Stadium in Sekondi"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Ghana’s senior national football team, the Black Stars, will play both legs of their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying double-header against Somalia at the Essipong Sports Stadium in Sekondi, bringing international football excitement to the Western Region.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The two encounters, scheduled for November 12 and November 16, 2026, will be played at 3:00 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), equivalent to 15:00 UTC.<\/p>\n

The decision to stage both matches at the Sekondi-based facility follows temporary approval from the Confederation of African Football (CAF), paving the way for the stadium to host the crucial Group C fixtures.<\/p>\n

The arrangement means Ghana will host Somalia in the first encounter before Somalia take their turn as the designated home side in the return fixture, with both matches taking place on Ghanaian soil.<\/p>\n

Match Details: Ghana vs Somalia<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\n
First Leg \u2014 Matchday 3<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\ud83d\udcc5 Thursday, November 12, 2026<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udd52 3:00 PM GMT (15:00 UTC)<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udccd Essipong Sports Stadium, Sekondi<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Second Leg \u2014 Matchday 4<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcc5 Monday, November 16, 2026<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udd52 3:00 PM GMT (15:00 UTC)<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udccd Essipong Sports Stadium, Sekondi<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Black Stars Under Pressure to Revive AFCON Campaign<\/h2>\n

The upcoming double-header represents a critical moment for Ghana as the team seeks to revive its qualification campaign after a disappointing start in Group C.<\/p>\n

The Black Stars suffered a 2-0 defeat to C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire in their opening match before losing 4-2 to The Gambia in their second fixture. The two losses have left Ghana without a point, increasing the pressure on the team to secure victories against Somalia.<\/p>\n

With qualification for the 2027 AFCON in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda at stake, the two matches are expected to be decisive for Ghana’s ambitions.<\/p>\n

The team will be expected to approach the encounters with determination, discipline and improved defensive organisation, while capitalising on their scoring opportunities.<\/p>\n

Essipong Stadium Set for International Football Spotlight<\/h2>\n

The confirmation of Essipong Sports Stadium as the venue for both matches is a significant development for football in the Western Region.<\/p>\n

The stadium, which previously hosted major football events including matches during the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations hosted by Ghana, has recently undergone renovation works aimed at improving its facilities.<\/p>\n

The venue also hosted the Black Queens’ Olympic qualifying encounter against Mauritius in October 2026, marking its return to competitive international football.<\/p>\n

Hosting the Black Stars for two important AFCON qualifying matches is expected to attract football fans from Sekondi-Takoradi and neighbouring communities.<\/p>\n

The matches could also provide a boost to local businesses, including hotels, restaurants, transport operators and other commercial establishments, as supporters converge on the city.<\/p>\n

The development further presents an opportunity for the Western Region to demonstrate its capacity to host major sporting events.<\/p>\n

Opportunity for Western Region Football Fans<\/h2>\n

The decision to stage both matches at Essipong will offer football enthusiasts in the Western Region<\/a> an opportunity to watch the Black Stars on home soil without travelling to Accra.<\/p>\n

For many supporters in Sekondi-Takoradi and surrounding communities, the double-header could be a memorable occasion, particularly if the team delivers the victories needed to revive its AFCON qualification hopes.<\/p>\n

The Ghana Football Association’s decision to use Essipong also places renewed attention on the importance of maintaining and upgrading regional sporting infrastructure to meet international standards.<\/p>\n

Ghana’s AFCON 2027 Qualification Hopes<\/h2>\n

The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from June 19 to July 17, 2027.<\/p>\n

Ghana, a four-time African champion, will be eager to avoid missing out on another edition of the continental tournament following its absence from the 2025 AFCON in Morocco.<\/p>\n

The Somalia double-header therefore presents an opportunity for the Black Stars to make a strong statement and restore confidence among supporters.<\/p>\n

All eyes will be on Essipong Sports Stadium on November 12 and 16 as Ghana seeks to turn its difficult start into a renewed qualification push.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ghana’s senior national football team, the Black Stars, will play both legs of their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying double-header against Somalia at […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4918,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[21],"tags":[868,53,859,123,862,894,872,267],"class_list":["post-4917","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-afcon-2027","tag-black-stars","tag-essipong-stadium","tag-ghana-football","tag-ghana-football-association","tag-sekondi","tag-somalia","tag-western-region"],"yoast_head":"\nBlack Stars to Play Both Somalia AFCON Qualifiers at Essipong Stadium in Sekondi - Apt News Ghana Black Stars to Play Somalia at Essipong Stadium Sekondi<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ghana's Black Stars will play both 2027 AFCON qualifiers against Somalia at Essipong Stadium in Sekondi on November 12 and 16, 2026.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/05\/black-stars-somalia-afcon-qualifiers-essipong-stadium\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Black Stars to Play Both Somalia AFCON Qualifiers at Essipong Stadium in Sekondi - Apt News Ghana Black Stars to Play Somalia at Essipong Stadium Sekondi\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ghana's Black Stars will play both 2027 AFCON qualifiers against Somalia at Essipong Stadium in Sekondi on November 12 and 16, 2026.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/05\/black-stars-somalia-afcon-qualifiers-essipong-stadium\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Apt News Ghana\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/joebright.nyarko.1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-11-05T21:01:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Mohammed-Kudus-scaled.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1941\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Dadajoejoe\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Dadajoejoe\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aptnewsghana.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/05\\\/black-stars-somalia-afcon-qualifiers-essipong-stadium\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aptnewsghana.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/05\\\/black-stars-somalia-afcon-qualifiers-essipong-stadium\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Editor\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aptnewsghana.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/26a4fa2e1ccac2c31f11b3186d0240fa\"},\"headline\":\"Black Stars to Play Both Somalia AFCON Qualifiers at Essipong Stadium in Sekondi\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-11-05T21:01:23+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aptnewsghana.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/05\\\/black-stars-somalia-afcon-qualifiers-essipong-stadium\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":624,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aptnewsghana.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aptnewsghana.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/05\\\/black-stars-somalia-afcon-qualifiers-essipong-stadium\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.aptnewsghana.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/Mohammed-Kudus-scaled.jpeg?fit=2560%2C1941&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"AFCON 2027\",\"black stars\",\"Essipong Stadium\",\"Ghana football\",\"Ghana Football Association\",\"Sekondi\",\"Somalia\",\"western region\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Sports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aptnewsghana.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/05\\\/black-stars-somalia-afcon-qualifiers-essipong-stadium\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aptnewsghana.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/05\\\/black-stars-somalia-afcon-qualifiers-essipong-stadium\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aptnewsghana.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/05\\\/black-stars-somalia-afcon-qualifiers-essipong-stadium\\\/\",\"name\":\"Black Stars to Play Both Somalia AFCON Qualifiers at Essipong Stadium in Sekondi - Apt News Ghana Black Stars to Play Somalia at Essipong Stadium Sekondi\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aptnewsghana.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aptnewsghana.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/05\\\/black-stars-somalia-afcon-qualifiers-essipong-stadium\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aptnewsghana.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/05\\\/black-stars-somalia-afcon-qualifiers-essipong-stadium\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.aptnewsghana.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/Mohammed-Kudus-scaled.jpeg?fit=2560%2C1941&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-11-05T21:01:23+00:00\",\"description\":\"Ghana's Black Stars will play both 2027 AFCON qualifiers against Somalia at Essipong Stadium in Sekondi on November 12 and 16, 2026.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aptnewsghana.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/05\\\/black-stars-somalia-afcon-qualifiers-essipong-stadium\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aptnewsghana.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/05\\\/black-stars-somalia-afcon-qualifiers-essipong-stadium\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aptnewsghana.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/05\\\/black-stars-somalia-afcon-qualifiers-essipong-stadium\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.aptnewsghana.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/Mohammed-Kudus-scaled.jpeg?fit=2560%2C1941&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.aptnewsghana.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/Mohammed-Kudus-scaled.jpeg?fit=2560%2C1941&ssl=1\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1941,\"caption\":\"Ghana's Black Stars will play both 2027 AFCON qualifiers against Somalia at Essipong Stadium in Sekondi on November 12 and 16, 2026.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aptnewsghana.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/05\\\/black-stars-somalia-afcon-qualifiers-essipong-stadium\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aptnewsghana.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Black Stars to Play Both Somalia AFCON Qualifiers at Essipong Stadium in Sekondi\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aptnewsghana.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aptnewsghana.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Apt News Ghana\",\"description\":\"Your Coverage\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aptnewsghana.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aptnewsghana.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aptnewsghana.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Apt News Ghana\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aptnewsghana.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aptnewsghana.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aptnewsghana.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/12\\\/aptnewsghana-logo-1-e1546185192805.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aptnewsghana.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/12\\\/aptnewsghana-logo-1-e1546185192805.png\",\"width\":320,\"height\":107,\"caption\":\"Apt News Ghana\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aptnewsghana.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/joebright.nyarko.1\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/Dadajoejoe\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aptnewsghana.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/26a4fa2e1ccac2c31f11b3186d0240fa\",\"name\":\"Editor\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/bf711d428bc8613649773651afe632ce7b73d253d98f0e9ed26da056197e99b5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/bf711d428bc8613649773651afe632ce7b73d253d98f0e9ed26da056197e99b5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/bf711d428bc8613649773651afe632ce7b73d253d98f0e9ed26da056197e99b5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Editor\"},\"description\":\"Joe Bright Nyarko Journalist\\\/Communication Researcher. Environment & Sustainability Advocate. Managing Editor of aptnewsghana.com, a non-profit news portal with bias towards environment and sustainability issues, rural development policies and gender & inequality.\",\"sameAs\":[\"Joe Bright\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aptnewsghana.com\\\/index.php\\\/author\\\/aptnewsghana_dm662qsx\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Black Stars to Play Both Somalia AFCON Qualifiers at Essipong Stadium in Sekondi - Apt News Ghana Black Stars to Play Somalia at Essipong Stadium Sekondi","description":"Ghana's Black Stars will play both 2027 AFCON qualifiers against Somalia at Essipong Stadium in Sekondi on November 12 and 16, 2026.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/05\/black-stars-somalia-afcon-qualifiers-essipong-stadium\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Black Stars to Play Both Somalia AFCON Qualifiers at Essipong Stadium in Sekondi - Apt News Ghana Black Stars to Play Somalia at Essipong Stadium Sekondi","og_description":"Ghana's Black Stars will play both 2027 AFCON qualifiers against Somalia at Essipong Stadium in Sekondi on November 12 and 16, 2026.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/05\/black-stars-somalia-afcon-qualifiers-essipong-stadium\/","og_site_name":"Apt News Ghana","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/joebright.nyarko.1","article_published_time":"2026-11-05T21:01:23+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1941,"url":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Mohammed-Kudus-scaled.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Editor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Dadajoejoe","twitter_site":"@Dadajoejoe","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Editor","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/05\/black-stars-somalia-afcon-qualifiers-essipong-stadium\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/05\/black-stars-somalia-afcon-qualifiers-essipong-stadium\/"},"author":{"name":"Editor","@id":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/#\/schema\/person\/26a4fa2e1ccac2c31f11b3186d0240fa"},"headline":"Black Stars to Play Both Somalia AFCON Qualifiers at Essipong Stadium in Sekondi","datePublished":"2026-11-05T21:01:23+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/05\/black-stars-somalia-afcon-qualifiers-essipong-stadium\/"},"wordCount":624,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/05\/black-stars-somalia-afcon-qualifiers-essipong-stadium\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Mohammed-Kudus-scaled.jpeg?fit=2560%2C1941&ssl=1","keywords":["AFCON 2027","black stars","Essipong Stadium","Ghana football","Ghana Football Association","Sekondi","Somalia","western region"],"articleSection":["Sports"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/05\/black-stars-somalia-afcon-qualifiers-essipong-stadium\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/05\/black-stars-somalia-afcon-qualifiers-essipong-stadium\/","url":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/05\/black-stars-somalia-afcon-qualifiers-essipong-stadium\/","name":"Black Stars to Play Both Somalia AFCON Qualifiers at Essipong Stadium in Sekondi - Apt News Ghana Black Stars to Play Somalia at Essipong Stadium Sekondi","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/05\/black-stars-somalia-afcon-qualifiers-essipong-stadium\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/05\/black-stars-somalia-afcon-qualifiers-essipong-stadium\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Mohammed-Kudus-scaled.jpeg?fit=2560%2C1941&ssl=1","datePublished":"2026-11-05T21:01:23+00:00","description":"Ghana's Black Stars will play both 2027 AFCON qualifiers against Somalia at Essipong Stadium in Sekondi on November 12 and 16, 2026.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/05\/black-stars-somalia-afcon-qualifiers-essipong-stadium\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/05\/black-stars-somalia-afcon-qualifiers-essipong-stadium\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/05\/black-stars-somalia-afcon-qualifiers-essipong-stadium\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Mohammed-Kudus-scaled.jpeg?fit=2560%2C1941&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Mohammed-Kudus-scaled.jpeg?fit=2560%2C1941&ssl=1","width":2560,"height":1941,"caption":"Ghana's Black Stars will play both 2027 AFCON qualifiers against Somalia at Essipong Stadium in Sekondi on November 12 and 16, 2026."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/05\/black-stars-somalia-afcon-qualifiers-essipong-stadium\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Black Stars to Play Both Somalia AFCON Qualifiers at Essipong Stadium in Sekondi"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/","name":"Apt News Ghana","description":"Your Coverage","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/#organization","name":"Apt News Ghana","url":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/aptnewsghana-logo-1-e1546185192805.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/aptnewsghana-logo-1-e1546185192805.png","width":320,"height":107,"caption":"Apt News Ghana"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/joebright.nyarko.1","https:\/\/x.com\/Dadajoejoe"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/#\/schema\/person\/26a4fa2e1ccac2c31f11b3186d0240fa","name":"Editor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bf711d428bc8613649773651afe632ce7b73d253d98f0e9ed26da056197e99b5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bf711d428bc8613649773651afe632ce7b73d253d98f0e9ed26da056197e99b5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bf711d428bc8613649773651afe632ce7b73d253d98f0e9ed26da056197e99b5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Editor"},"description":"Joe Bright Nyarko Journalist\/Communication Researcher. Environment & Sustainability Advocate. Managing Editor of aptnewsghana.com, a non-profit news portal with bias towards environment and sustainability issues, rural development policies and gender & inequality.","sameAs":["Joe Bright"],"url":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/index.php\/author\/aptnewsghana_dm662qsx\/"}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9MOQw-1hj","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Mohammed-Kudus-scaled.jpeg?fit=2560%2C1941&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4917","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4917"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4917\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4919,"href":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4917\/revisions\/4919"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4918"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4917"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4917"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4917"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}