Nigeria’s Super Eagles and Ghana’s Black Stars will renew their fierce feud in the first leg of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying match later this evening at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi.

The game, like the previous ones between the two teams, is expected to be a heated game, as Ghana versus Nigeria has become one of the most enthralling rivalries in African football, and that trend will continue today. Ghana is prepared to embark on a new era in football after failing to impress in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cameroon. The black stars were chastised for their performance in Cameroon, where they were ousted from the group stage after failing to win a single match, including a humiliating 2-3 loss to Comoros.

Milovan Rajevac was fired following the humiliating loss in Cameroon, and Otto Addo was named interim coach with the task of leading the Black Stars back to the global showpiece after missing out on qualifying for the 2018 finals in Russia for the fourth time (adding to 2006, 2010 and 2014).

The Super Eagles recovered their former swaggers under interim coach Austin Eguavoen at AFCON 2021 in Cameroon, following a lackluster performance that led to the dismissal of long-serving German technical adviser Gernot Rohr.

However, after leading his team to three consecutive victories in the competition’s group stages, Eguavoen’s Eagles were eliminated in the round of 16, and he will look to avenge himself against an inexperienced Ghanaian side.

The aggregate winner over two legs (the return game is set for the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja on Tuesday 29 March) will earn one of five African tickets to the Qatar World Cup in November and December later this year.

Head-to-head Competition

Ghana and Nigeria have met 56 times in all competitions (including friendly matches), with Ghana winning 25 times and Nigeria 12 times, with 19 matches ending in a draw.

The Super Eagles, on the other hand, have had more success at the World Cup, winning 21 points to Ghana’s 19 on the biggest stage in sport. Nigeria is also higher in the FIFA rankings (32nd to 61st) and has advanced to the last 16 of the AFCON 2021, whilst Ghana finished bottom in their group, having failed to win a single game.

Nigeria is seeking to qualify for their seventh World Cup appearance, having achieved a top result of ninth at the 1994 World Cup.

Ghana has participated in three World Cup tournaments, reaching the quarter-final stage in 2010.

CAF Approves 40, 000 Fans

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has approved Ghana’s request to admit 40,000 spectators for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 play-off first leg match against Nigeria at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi.

This comes after the Ghana Football Association’s request to play the game in the full capacity stadium following the laid-down rules by CAF.

The GFA consequently advises all Ghanaians to obey all laid-down safety and security measures strictly to first and foremost have a successful match and also to avoid any sanctions from CAF and FIFA.