Ghana have received a major boost ahead of their crucial Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Somalia on Thursday, with Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Mohammed Kudus returning to the squad as the Black Stars look to revive their struggling campaign.
The 26-year-old missed the 2026 FIFA World Cup through injury and was also unavailable for Ghana's defeats to Ivory Coast and Gambia in September.
Experienced captain Jordan Ayew, who plays for Championship side Sheffield United, has also returned to strengthen Ghana's attacking options.
However, the four-time African champions will be without Manchester City winger Antoine Semenyo, who remains sidelined through injury.
Ghana enter the encounter desperate for points after a disappointing start to Group C, which has left their hopes of qualifying for AFCON under serious pressure.
While Ghana's defeat away to Ivory Coast was not entirely unexpected, their 4-2 home loss to Gambia proved particularly damaging.
The Black Stars surrendered a two-goal advantage in that encounter, a collapse that ultimately contributed to Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz resigning.
With the third and fourth rounds of qualifying taking place between Thursday and Tuesday, Ghana now face consecutive fixtures against Somalia.
Both matches will be staged in Essipong, with Somalia unable to host their home fixture because of security concerns.
Somalia's preparations have also faced disruption after security personnel instructed the squad to leave a university stadium in Accra and relocate their training session.
Ghana will be targeting maximum points from the two encounters to revive their qualification hopes ahead of the final two matchdays in March.
Meanwhile, Group C leaders Ivory Coast and Gambia will meet twice, with fixtures scheduled in Abidjan and Bakau.
Swedish coach Kim Lars Bjorkegren has been placed in temporary charge of Ghana's men's national team while the search for a permanent successor to Queiroz continues.
Bjorkegren also coaches Ghana's women's national team, which reached the quarterfinals of the recent Women's Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco before losing to eventual champions Cameroon.
The women's side remain in contention for qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil.
Despite their lower world ranking, Somalia have shown signs of improvement during the qualifying campaign.
The Ocean Stars suffered a narrow defeat against Gambia before frustrating Ivory Coast for 88 minutes, eventually conceding twice against the three-time African champions.
Ghana will therefore need to avoid complacency as they attempt to secure their first points of the campaign.
Nigeria are another African heavyweight facing mounting pressure following a disappointing start to AFCON qualifying.
The Super Eagles struggled to overcome Madagascar at home in their opening Group L fixture before suffering a humiliating 3-0 defeat away to Guinea-Bissau, a nation ranked 124th in the world.
The result sparked widespread criticism, with former Nigerian international Segun Odegbami describing the team's struggles as "a dive to new depths".
Having already failed to qualify for the previous two FIFA World Cup tournaments, Nigeria face growing scrutiny over their performances.
Their next challenge comes against Tanzania, who have already secured qualification for AFCON 2027 as co-hosts alongside Kenya and Uganda.
Nigeria will be without influential striker Victor Osimhen, the 2023 African Footballer of the Year, who has been ruled out through injury.
Cape Verde captured international attention at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with impressive performances against some of football's biggest nations.
The Blue Sharks held Spain to a draw before pushing Argentina into extra time during their last-32 encounter, earning widespread admiration.
However, their AFCON qualifying campaign has been far less encouraging.
Defeats away to Mali and at home to Rwanda have left Cape Verde facing the possibility of missing a second consecutive Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
The island nation now faces two crucial Group K fixtures against fellow strugglers Liberia.
Following the World Cup, long-serving coach Bubista departed to take charge of Moroccan club Renaissance Berkane.
Former assistant Humberto Bettencourt has since assumed responsibility for the national team and will be hoping consecutive victories can restore Cape Verde's qualification prospects.
Tunisia are also attempting to rebuild following a difficult period marked by disappointing results and managerial changes.
The Carthage Eagles were the only one of Africa's 10 representatives at the 2026 FIFA World Cup to exit during the opening round, losing all three group matches under two different coaches.
French manager Sabri Lamouchi was dismissed following a heavy defeat to Sweden, while his replacement, Herve Renard, was unable to reverse the team's fortunes.
Renard subsequently departed after defeats against Japan and the Netherlands.
Tunisia have now appointed Mouin Chaabani, a Tunisian coach with a successful record in CAF club competitions, to lead their recovery.
The Carthage Eagles face Libya in their upcoming Group H fixtures after opening their qualifying campaign with home draws against Uganda and Botswana.
With qualification hopes hanging in the balance, Tunisia will be eager to secure victories and restore confidence under their new manager.
Ghana, Nigeria, Cape Verde and Tunisia enter the latest round of AFCON qualifiers knowing that further setbacks could seriously damage their chances of reaching the 2027 tournament.
For Ghana, the return of Kudus and Ayew provides a timely boost as the Black Stars look to recover from consecutive defeats.
However, with several traditional African powerhouses struggling for consistency, the upcoming fixtures could prove decisive in shaping the race for qualification.
