Will Black Stars Qualify Automatically If They Beat Mozambique?

The Black Stars of Ghana face a heaculean task this evening as they clash with Mozambique in the final group B fixture of the ongoing Total Energies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 in Cote D’voire.

Ghana currently is second from the botom on the group B table with a single point with goal deficit from two matches just above Mozambique who has one point with 3 goals deficit and below Egypt and group leaders Cape Verde which has maximum six points from two games.

A win is therefore a must for the Black Stars to dream of getting to the one-sixteenth stage of the competition.

After the last group matches, out of the 24 teams in the competition, the top two teams with the highest points in each group authomatically qualify to the knockout stage.

Fortunately for Ghana, four more slots are open for the best third-place finishers in the group stage.

So, how do they decide who gets these precious spots?

It all boils down to points, goals, and sometimes, a bit of luck. Here’s the breakdown:

Points Matter Most: The team with the most points from their three group matches gets the first shot at the last 16. If two or more teams have the same number of points, things get a bit trickier.

Head-to-Head Battle: If it’s just two teams tied on points, their head-to-head match result comes into play. Whoever won that game gets bragging rights and a potential ticket to the next round.

Goal Difference Decides: But what if they drew their head-to-head clash? Then, it’s all about the overall goal difference in all their group matches. The team that conceded fewer goals while scoring more breathes a sigh of relief and moves closer to qualification.

Most Goals Scored Takes the Cake: Still tied? No worries, there’s another tiebreaker! Teams are then ranked based on the total number of goals they scored throughout the group stage. The more goals, the merrier, especially in this situation.

Lady Luck Steps In: If all the above criteria fail to break the tie, then it’s time for a good old-fashioned lottery. Yes, a drawing of lots by the organizing committee will determine the lucky team that grabs the last spot.

Takeaway

For third-place teams, every point, every goal, and every clean sheet matters. Their performance across all three group matches will determine their fate, and a bit of luck wouldn’t hurt either.

Note: at the 2022 AFCON, three points were enough to qualify with Tunisia and Comoros (who advanced at the expense of Ghana) among the teams that qualified with that number of points. Cape Verde and Malawi joined them with four points apiece in the round of 16.

So, keep your eyes peeled on the remaining third-place finishers, because some thrilling battles are brewing for those last four precious slots in the AFCON knockout stage!

After each of the 24-participation teams playing two group matches, Ghana is currently 5th on the Third-placed Ranked Teams from each group in the competition.

With this table now, Ghana has to beat Mozambique with atleast 3 goals and hope that the teams which are 3rd on their respective tables do not end with 4 points,

If that happens goals difference will break the ties.

Should Ghana win today they will wait till the end of all the group final games to know their fate .

Is is possible for Ghana to qualify.

By: Christian Kpesese with excepts from graphiconline