Carlos Queiroz Leaves Ghana Again After AFCON 2027 Qualifying Losses

Carlos Queiroz has left his position as Ghana coach for the second time this year, ending a brief return to the Black Stars after two defeats in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign. The Portuguese coach and the Ghana Football Association agreed to end their collaboration by mutual consent.

Queiroz returned to the post on September 3, only two months after his first departure. His second spell lasted about a month and was defined by losses to Côte d’Ivoire and The Gambia. Ghana lost 2-0 to Côte d’Ivoire before falling 4-2 to The Gambia, leaving the team with a difficult start to its latest continental qualifying campaign.

The result against The Gambia was especially damaging because Ghana had already been beaten in the previous fixture. The Black Stars conceded four goals in the match and scored twice, but the defeat extended the immediate run of losses that ultimately brought Queiroz’s return to an end.

Queiroz had first been appointed in April with responsibility for preparing Ghana for the World Cup. He led the team at the tournament, where the Black Stars were eliminated in the last 16. After that campaign, he announced his departure, but he later reached a new agreement with the federation and resumed the job in September.

That sequence made his second exit unusually rapid. The coach had barely returned before the two qualifying defeats reopened the question of Ghana’s direction. The federation said the discussions were conducted in a spirit of mutual respect and described the decision as difficult, while both sides concluded that ending the partnership was the most appropriate solution in the circumstances.

Queiroz also acknowledged that the recent results had influenced his departure. He said the conditions required to continue the mission were not fully in place. His statement followed a period in which the coaching position had changed twice around the same World Cup cycle and now leaves Ghana searching for another manager.

The 73-year-old leaves behind a long international and club career. He has coached Portugal, Iran, Egypt and Colombia, and also managed Real Madrid. Earlier in his career, he worked as an assistant to Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. That experience made him one of the most established coaches to take charge of the Black Stars, but it did not prevent the latest change after the opening results in the AFCON 2027 qualifiers.

Ghana must now identify a successor while its qualifying campaign continues. No replacement has been announced. The next appointment will inherit a team that has already suffered defeats against Côte d’Ivoire and The Gambia, as well as the uncertainty created by Queiroz’s second departure in the same year. For the Black Stars, the immediate task is to restore continuity on the touchline and address the consequences of a start that has produced two losses in succession.