Baba Yara stadium to host Ghana-Nigeria world cup playoff

The world cup play-off match between Ghana and Nigeria will take place at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Wednesday sanctioned the stadium in Ghana’s second largest city for the first leg of the play-off, after Ghana’s proposed Cape Coast Stadium was rejected.

In a letter to the Ghana Football Association (GFA) CAF’s Development Officer Raul Chipenda said the Federation has granted “a one-match approval for the use of Baba Yara Sports Stadium (Kumasi) in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 African qualifiers playoff round match Ghana vs. Nigeria.”

CAF was emphatic that the Kumasi stadium will be “automatically removed from the list of CAF approved stadiums” after the world cup play-off match.

Ghana is also expected to ensure among others, the installation of a new international standard, modern and comfortable officials’ benches at pitch level, adjustment of the floodlight intensity, and increase the number of seats and lockers in the dressing rooms to reach (25) persons.

The continental football body also called for a general refurbishment of the CAF office, installation of modern furniture and the necessary electronic equipment, installation of completely new modern equipment and materials in the referee’s dressing rooms as well as media tribune, press conference room and media centre.

CAF rejected the Cape Coast stadium after inspections because of the bad state of the pitch and concerns that a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) cannot be installed at the stadium.

Ghana will play Nigeria in the first leg of the World Cup play offs on Friday, March 25, 2022, at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi.