Rachael Kaphaizi

The Ghana National  Football team has been dealt a big blow following a decision by .The Confederation of African Football )CAF) to  ban the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi from hosting international matches as it falls short of standards.

This decision comes after CAF’s inspection following Ghana’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifier against Angola.

CAF said the stadium did not meet their standards. CAF’s strict requirements aim at ensuring safety. The ban leaves Ghana’s football authorities with a huge task of upgrading the stadium.

In August 2024, CAF released a new list of pre-approved stadiums for the 2024/2025 interclub competitions.

South Africa leads with 11 approved stadiums, followed by Morocco with eight.

However, some stadiums approved in June were removed from the list  due to failure to meet CAF’s strict requirements.

The Baba Yara sports stadium in Kumasi, Ghana, was deemed not fit for category 3 international matches including top-tier games.

Not only Ghana, Eleven other African countries, including Djibouti, Chad, Niger, Gabon, Sudan, Eritrea, Madagascar ,Burundi, Sao Tome and Principe and Zimbabwe have also been banned from hosting international matches at home due to substandard stadium conditions.

Meanwhile countries like South Africa, Morocco and Algeria boast multiple approved stadiums, ready to host important tournaments like the CAF Champions League.