Ghana are searching for a new manager after ending Carlos Queiroz’s brief tenure, with the Black Stars needing an appointment before their two-match meeting with Somalia in November.
Queiroz and Ghana parted company after the team lost their opening two matches in the CAN 2027 qualifiers. They were beaten 2-0 by Cote d’Ivoire before suffering a 4-2 home defeat by The Gambia.
The results have intensified concerns over Ghana’s decline in African football. The former continental powerhouses are at risk of missing a second successive CAN after failing to qualify for CAN 2025.
Several experienced coaches currently without clubs could now be considered.
Walid Regragui
Walid Regragui would be the most high-profile option. The 50-year-old has been without a club since leaving Morocco, although he joined Canal+ as a consultant in September for coverage of European matches and the Premier League.
His knowledge of African football, combined with Morocco’s historic run to the 2022 World Cup semi-finals, would give him considerable standing. The main uncertainty is whether Regragui would want to take on another African national-team project.
Patrice Beaumelle
Patrice Beaumelle has extensive experience across the continent, having worked in Zambia, Cote d’Ivoire, Morocco, Algeria, Angola and Tunisia.
He was formerly a long-serving assistant to Herve Renard when Zambia won the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations and Cote d’Ivoire claimed the 2015 tournament. Beaumelle later managed both Chipolopolo and the Elephants in his own right.
More recently, he won the Algerian championship with MC Alger in 2024, followed by spells in Angola and at Esperance de Tunis. He has been available since leaving the Tunisian club in May and would offer immediate familiarity with the demands of African football.
Marc Brys
Marc Brys’ time in Cameroon was dominated by a public institutional dispute involving the Ministry of Sports and Samuel Eto’o, including repeated clashes with the president of Fecafoot.
That difficult experience exposed the Belgian to the intense scrutiny surrounding a major African national team. Brys, whose name had already been linked with the Ghana job in April, also has a lengthy club-management career, although not at the highest level.
His appointment would bring a strong personality to a Ghana side seeking authority and a clear identity after several years of instability.
Tom Saintfiet
Tom Saintfiet is another experienced option. The Belgian has managed numerous national teams in Africa and is particularly remembered for guiding The Gambia to the quarter-finals of CAN 2021.
He has been available since leaving Mali in April. His name was also mentioned for the Ghana post after Otto Addo’s departure, although Ghanaian media reported that no formal contact took place.
Saintfiet may lack Regragui’s profile, but he has a record of building competitive teams in challenging circumstances.
Pape Thiaw
Pape Thiaw led Senegal to victory at CAN 2025 before being dismissed following the Lions’ elimination in the last 32 of the 2026 World Cup.
The 45-year-old’s position remains complicated because he is seeking more than 423 million FCFA from the Senegalese Football Federation in unpaid salaries, bonuses and contractual benefits.
His recent African title and knowledge of west African football could nevertheless appeal to Ghana if they choose an African coach.
Whoever is appointed will inherit two defeats and no points in the CAN 2027 qualifiers, with Somalia awaiting twice in November. After missing CAN 2025, Ghana, four-time African champions, cannot afford another mistake. The next manager must win immediately.
