Ghana Women’s National Team coach Nora Hauptle announced her squad that will face Zambia’s Copper Queens in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games qualifiers.
They will host the Copper Queens on February 23rd, 2024, before traveling to Ndola on February 28th for the return leg.
The Black Queens went unbeaten for ten games before losing to Namibia 1-0 in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) qualifiers.
The Copper Queens, on the other hand, have not lost a match since their group-stage elimination from the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup; this excludes games played at the 2023 Cosafa Women’s Championship Cup, where Zambia chose to use only locally based players.
Meanwhile, headlining Ghana’s squad is Charlton Athletic striker Freda Ayisi, a former Arsenal and Leicester City striker.
The striker who also plays as a midfielder began her professional career with Arsenal back in 2014. She has since played for Birmingham, Leicester City, London City, Lewes, and Charlton Athletic, the current English Women’s Championship leaders.
The 29-year-old has made just two appearances in the championship, scoring and assisting once.
With Ghana aiming to qualify for the Olympic Games for the first time in history, Hauptle hopes the experienced Freda will boost her team’s offensive firepower to defeat the Copper Queens, who want to return to the tournament after being Africa’s sole representative in Tokyo in 2021.
Below is Ghana’s full squad:
