Ghana’s U20 AFCON team takes on Central African Republic, quarterfinal berth already clinched

Ghana’s Black Satellites take on the Central African Republic (CAR) today in their final Group C match of the ongoing U20 Africa Cup of Nations, with a place in the quarterfinals already assured.

The permutations ahead of today’s fixtures mean Ghana cannot finish lower than third in the group, and that alone is enough to see them through to the knockout phase. Tunisia’s third-place finish in Group B with just three points has worked in Ghana’s favour, as the best two third-placed teams across the groups advance.

With Group A already confirmed to produce one of the best third-placed teams, Zambia and Egypt have five and four points respectively, Ghana’s four points from two games place them ahead of Tunisia in the third-place ranking. That guarantees the Black Satellites at least one of the two slots available to the best third-placed teams.

Even in a worst-case scenario where Ghana lose to CAR and Senegal beat DR Congo, resulting in all four teams in Group C finishing on four points, Ghana would still progress due to their superior head-to-head result over Senegal.

Despite the secured qualification, there is still plenty at stake in today’s match. A win over CAR could see Ghana top the group or at least finish second, depending on the result between Senegal and DR Congo.

The Black Satellites opened their campaign with a 1-1 draw against DR Congo before edging Senegal 1-0. They will be looking to maintain their unbeaten run and head into the knockout stage with momentum.

Kick-off is at 18:00 local time (15:00 GMT).