The Black Queens of Ghana are gearing up for their 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations WAFCON campaign in Morocco—where they’ve already qualified and been drawn into Group D alongside Cameroon, Mali, and Cape Verde—by participating in the Pink Ladies Cup, an annual international women’s football invitational tournament held in the United Arab Emirates.
This friendly competition, now in its third edition after debuting in 2024 in Turkey and continuing in 2025 in the UAE (previously featuring teams like South Korea, Russia, India, Thailand, Uzbekistan, and Jordan), provides a high-quality training ground during a FIFA international window.
It brings together national teams from different confederations for competitive matches in a centralized location, emphasizing development, camaraderie, and preparation for major tournaments.
The 2026 edition is set to run from February 28 to March 6, 2026, in the UAE, with the Black Queens joining Russia, Hong Kong, and Tanzania in the four-team lineup.
This mix offers Ghana exposure to varied playing styles: Russia’s physical and technically strong European approach they’ve been regular participants and performed well in prior editions, Hong Kong’s resilient Asian setup, and Tanzania’s fellow African flair the Taifa Stars, who also qualified for WAFCON 2026 and are in a different group).
For the Black Queens, under head coach Kim Lars Björkegren, the tournament is a key early step in squad integration, tactical refinement, and building cohesion ahead of their WAFCON group opener against Cape Verde on March 18, 2026, followed by matches against Cameroon and Mali.
The event aligns perfectly with Ghana’s timeline, coming just weeks before the continental finals (March 17–April 3, 2026), allowing the team to test combinations, assess form, and gain match sharpness without the pressure of qualifiers.
The Pink Ladies Cup carries a positive branding focus on unity, empowerment, and “we shine together” in women’s football, backed by sponsors such as PUMA (kit provider) and MTN prominent in African sports).
This participation underscores Ghana’s proactive approach to preparations, leveraging cross-continental friendlies to elevate performance as they aim to improve on past WAFCON showings and challenge for honors in Morocco.