Anytime the Black Queens walk onto the pitch at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), they carry more than just the flag of Ghana; they carry the legacy of decades of heartbreak, hope, and unfinished business.
For a nation that once stood toe-to-toe with Africa’s best, the long road back to the top has never felt more urgent, or more possible.
Once, their name alone was enough to strike fear across the continent. But times have changed, and as forward Alice Kusi admits, “We used to lash Morocco after staying in camp for just a week. But we can’t do that anymore because they have improved.”
That single line says everything about Ghana’s reality today. The days when the Queens could dominate on reputation alone are over.
The rest of Africa has closed the gap. Morocco, once easy prey, hosted the WAFCON final in 2022, stunned the world with a historic Round of 16 run at the 2023 World Cup, picking up wins over sides like South Korea, while Ghana has not featured at the World Cup since 2007.
It’s a reminder that the rest of Africa has caught up, and now, the Queens must fight harder than ever to stand where they once did: at the very top.
The Queens’ journey at the WAFCON began in 1991 when they reached the quarter-finals, a credible start for a nation that was only beginning to nurture the women’s game.
By 1995, Ghana had forced its way into the semi-finals, giving the rest of Africa notice that they were here to stay. But it was in the late 90s and early 2000s that the Black Queens truly became a powerhouse on the continent.
In 1998, Ghana finished as runners-up to Nigeria’s Super Falcons, a sign of how close they were to Africa’s summit. That pattern of near-misses and heartbreak would become painfully familiar.
The Queens would finish third in 2000, return to second place in 2002, and again claim bronze in 2004.
The generation of Alberta Sackey, who was named African Women’s Footballer of the Year in 2002, embodied a team that had the talent and passion but often fell short of ultimate triumph against a Nigerian side that was practically untouchable in its prime.
By 2006, another runners-up medal sat in the Ghana Football Association’s trophy cabinet, a symbol of persistence but also a haunting reminder of how elusive the crown remained. Then came the decline.
A team once certain of a place in the final four suddenly found itself struggling to make it out of the group stage: early exits in 2008 and 2010, a shock failure to even qualify in 2012, and another group-stage heartbreak in 2014 signalled a worrying drift.
A brief flicker of hope arrived in 2016 when Ghana claimed third place again, but disappointment returned two years later as the Queens, on home soil, crashed out at the group stage in 2018.
It was a result that left scars, both for the players and a fan base desperate to see the Black Queens return to their former glory. Missing out entirely in 2022 deepened the wounds.
Yet here in 2025, the story feels different. As the Queens push through to the quarter-finals of the 2024 WAFCON tournament, there is a cautious optimism in the air.
Players like Princella Adubea, Doris Boaduwaa, and Evelyn Badu symbolise a new generation determined to lift the team back to where it belongs.
Ghana’s domestic women’s league is slowly growing stronger, producing fresh talent and attracting new investment. For the first time in years, the Queens’ camp feels like a place of hope rather than regret.
Ghana opened their campaign with a tough 2-0 defeat to defending champions South Africa, a result that stung but didn’t break their spirit.
Their second game brought a 1-1 draw with Mali, a frustrating result that left everything hanging on the final match.
On Monday, July 14, 2025, with elimination staring them in the face, the Queens rose to the moment.
Against Tanzania, they produced their best football yet, sweeping aside their East African opponents 4-1 to snatch a quarter-final place when it mattered most.
Princella Adubea pounced on a goalkeeper’s error to give Ghana an early lead, but Tanzania struck back before halftime, punishing a sloppy clearance to equalize. It was tense. It was uncomfortable. And it forced the Queens to show real grit.
In the second half, Princess Marfo’s relentless running rattled the Tanzanian back line, earning a penalty that Alice Kusi calmly converted to restore Ghana’s lead.
Substitute Evelyn Badu made it 3-1 after a clever free-kick routine, before Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah sealed it with a stunning curler in the dying moments, a 4-1 win that carried the Queens into the knockout rounds by sheer force of will.
The fight, the hunger, the belief, the echoes of Ghana’s golden era were unmistakable.
Now, a huge test awaits as the Queens face Algeria on Saturday, July 19, 2025, with a semi-final spot and a chance to renew old dreams.
They know the stakes; another slip and the ghosts of the past will be waiting. But another win, and the nation dares to believe the trophy that slipped through so many legendary hands might finally come home.
It’s been 34 years since the Black Queens first showed Africa what Ghanaian women’s football could be. The journey has been full of stops and stumbles.
But here they are again, back in the knockouts, the badge pressed to their hearts, the old pain driving a new promise.
On Saturday, the Queens will fight not just for a semi-final, but for every girl who dares to dream, for every legend who came close, and for a nation that knows its women’s football deserves a place back at Africa’s summit.
FKA/MA
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