Accra, Cape Coast stadia closed for maintenance Ahead of crucial AFCON qualifiers

The National Sports Authority (NSA) has temporarily closed the Accra and Cape Coast Sports Stadia for maintenance, preparing them for upcoming international matches.
This move aims to bring the facilities up to international standards, following last week’s decision by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to ban the Baba Yara Sports Stadium from hosting senior international matches due to poor pitch conditions.
CAF has recommended a complete reconstruction of Baba Yara’s playing surface, but the NSA is making interim adjustments to ensure an alternative venue is available for Ghana’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 qualifier against Sudan in October.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports has directed the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to engage CAF to assess the Accra Sports Stadium and the University of Ghana Stadium in Legon as potential venues.
While the Accra stadium is listed in CAF’s database, it still requires significant upgrades.
The Legon stadium, on the other hand, seems unlikely to meet the standards needed for the match.
Following discussions with the Sports Ministry and NSA, Cape Coast Sports Stadium is being prepared as a possible venue for the Sudan game. If no suitable venue is found in Ghana, the GFA may consider hosting the match in Togo.