All is set for the third round of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) qualifiers for this year’s FIFA World Cup which is scheduled to take place in Qatar from 21 November to 8 December will take place this weekend across the continent.
Ghana and Nigeria, two of the African giants and historic rivals in the history of football will battle it out for both pride, and qualification to the 2022 FIFA World Cup today at 19:30GMT in the garden city of Ghana-Kumasi.
Ghana and Nigeria are among the 10 out of the 54 countries vying for five spots to compete at the world stage in Qatar. Nigeria, the most successful African nation to have competed at the World Cup, has vowed to boot out four-time Africa Cup of Nation (AFCON) champions Ghana whose current outings have been nothing less than a disaster.
But players of Black Stars of Ghana, as the lower-ranked team in the FIFA men’s standings, hosting the first contest of this two-leg tie today on home soil at Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi are assuring of qualification to Qatar.
The second leg will be played four days later on Tuesday, March 29 at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja, Nigeria. The kick-off is scheduled for 19:00 local time.
The aggregate winners of the tie will secure a place at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which will take place between November and December this year.
Head-to-Head Record
Ghana and Nigeria have faced each other a total of 56 times in all competitions (including friendlies), with Ghana recording 25 wins to Nigeria’s 12 (19 matches ended in a draw).
However, the Super Eagles have experienced greater success at the World Cup, accruing 21 points to Ghana’s 19 on football’s biggest stage. Nigeria also ranks higher in the FIFA standings (32nd to 61st), and comes into the match having reached the last 16 of AFCON 2021, while Ghana surprisingly finished last in their group, having failed to win a single game.
Story: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
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