The National Sports Authority (NSA) is working to secure full Confederation of African Football (CAF) certification for the Essipong Sports Stadium to host Ghana’s upcoming 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Somalia in November.

Acting NSA Director General Prof. Emmanuel Osei Sarpong says the authority is addressing the outstanding requirements to ensure the stadium can host more international matches.

The Black Stars are scheduled to face Somalia in a double-header in the Matchday 3 and 4 fixtures of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers.

Essipong recently received conditional approval from FIFA and CAF to host the Black Queens’ Olympic qualifier against Mauritius on Tuesday, 13 October, marking the venue’s return to international football after years of limited use.

The NSA is now considering the stadium for Somalia’s home fixture against Ghana as it seeks to ease the pressure on the Accra Sports Stadium, which requires repairs.

“One of the plans is that we have Essipong Sports Stadium, Kumasi Sports Stadium, Cape Coast, Tamale and Accra. These are five we have, and currently, Accra is certified. Fortunately for us, we got Essipong temporarily certified,” Prof. Osei Sarpong told Citi Sports.

The authority hopes to complete the remaining requirements for Essipong to obtain full approval and become a viable venue for international football.

Somalia have already received approval from the NSA to use the Accra Sports Stadium for their home matches after CAF failed to certify a stadium in the country.

Prof. Osei Sarpong said staging Somalia’s home fixture at Essipong would give the Accra Sports Stadium additional time for maintenance work.

“We were trying to see if we could play one of them, especially the home match for Somalia at the Essipong Sports Stadium. It will be their home game. So it will really not affect us, so that at least Accra Sports Stadium will also have time to breathe,” he added.

The NSA is also working to address infrastructure challenges at the Kumasi Sports Stadium, with the dressing rooms identified as one of the areas requiring attention.

Ghana’s search for a suitable venue comes at a difficult time for the Black Stars, who have made a poor start to their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign.

The four-time African champions have no points after two matches in Group C, having suffered consecutive defeats against Ivory Coast and The Gambia.

The upcoming fixtures against Somalia will therefore be crucial as Ghana seek to revive their qualification hopes.