Ghana secured their place in the quarter-finals of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations 2026 despite being held to a 1-1 draw by Mali in the third round of the group stage.
The result was enough for the Black Queens to progress, while Mali’s Aigles Dames were eliminated from the competition after failing to find the goal they needed to qualify.
Ghana took the lead shortly before half-time when Evelyn Badu struck in the third minute of added time at the end of the first half. Her finish gave the Black Queens an advantage at the interval and put them in a strong position to claim the result required to continue their campaign.
Mali responded quickly after the restart. Kadidiatou Diabate equalised in the 50th minute, bringing the Aigles Dames back into the contest and setting up a tense second half.
The goal gave Mali an opportunity to change the outcome of the match, but they were unable to score again. Despite their efforts to find the decisive goal, the Aigles Dames could not complete the comeback needed to keep their qualification hopes alive.
Ghana therefore held on to the draw and confirmed their progress to the last eight. For the Black Queens, the result preserved their involvement in the tournament even though they could not maintain the lead established by Badu before the break.
The match followed a momentum shift between the two sides. Ghana had the final word in the opening half through Badu’s stoppage-time goal, but Mali restored parity only five minutes after the interval through Diabate. Neither side managed to produce another goal after that equaliser.
That left Ghana with the outcome required to advance from the group stage, while Mali’s campaign came to an end. The Black Queens will now continue their pursuit of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations 2026 title in the quarter-finals.
