Sports
End of an era for Royals?
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In 2019 when a new management acquired Wa All Stars, it marked the birth of a new club side – Legon Cities; which was ready to challenge the Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko dominance.
It was the pride of Wa in the Upper West region of Ghana after the ‘defunct’ Upper West Heroes. They would have created a fierce city rivalry similar to the Hearts versus Olympics, Kotoko versus Cornerstones and others.
The change in management moved the club to Accra but with their spirit in Wa.
At least, a few pundits attributed their struggles to this analogy.
Belonging to a former Ghana Football Association (GFA) President, Kwesi Nyantakyi, under whose tenure they made history by winning the Ghana Premier League (GPL) once and played in Africa club championship, Legon Cities was touted as the latest force to reckon with.
Sadly, six years down the line, they have been relegated from the elite stage of football with a few matches to go in the 2024/25 football season.
It is such a sad story for their supporters to read about although the signals have been on the wall from the day of acquisition.
They went so close to suffering the drop in the previous season but were ‘saved’ by Accra Great Olympics, another capital force that has become so accustomed to relegation.
Legon Cities would be sorely missed for the carnival they added to the competition.
Their arrival for home matches reminded fans of scenes of over two decades ago when teams’ arrivals for matches at the stadium created exciting scenes with the arrival parties led by police riders. They lived like royals as they were known.
That died many years ago but Legon Cities revived that, as they kept fans spellbound with the convoy that follows their beautifully branded team bus.
There was a storm about the team’s name. The confusion was about whether it should be ‘City’ or ‘Cities’ but when that was clarified, the media was set in propagating information about them.
Now, with a few fans, the new management led by a bankroller that operated behind the scenes, Legon Cities undertook ventures clubs with mammoth, following never tried.
In a way to blend football and entertainment, they introduced showbiz packages that featured top performers like hiplife icons, Shatta Wale, Wendy Shay, Medical, Mr Drew, Krymi and many others.
It was certainly their way of bringing the fans back to the stadium.
But knowing those performances alone would not bring the results needed for survival, the playing and technical teams were not spared of the investment.
Legon Cities became an attractive destination for top stars like former Black Stars captain, Asamoah Gyan, Black Stars goalkeeper’s trainer, Fatawu Dauda, Jona Attuquaye, Mitchell Otoo and others that were about ending their careers.
The technical bench also attracted some of Ghana’s finest coaches like Maxwell Konadu, Yaw Acheampong, Paa Kwesi Fabin, Bashir Hayford and others.
Sadly, none of these coaches were able to deliver the aspiration of the new owners who are faced with a new task of fighting their way back to the top.
With three matches left, Legon Cities can count themselves out for next season.
It means the rest of the matches must become preparatory games in shaping the team for the more difficult Division One League (DOL) described as the wilderness of Ghana football.
It is a poignant tale for lovers of the game considering what they bring to the table as they created entertaining moments in matches against Hearts of Oak, Great Olympics, Accra Lions, clubs they faced in city rivalries.
But certainly expected to find a place on DOL Zone III, they could face traditional sides like Great Olympics and Okwawu United and others all striving to return to the GPL.
It will be a long journey back for the Royals. It will be rough and twisting with no guarantee of returning immediately, but no matter what happens, the focus should be on a return at all cost.
By Andrew Nortey
The Black Queens kick off their 2026 CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations journey on Wednesday, July 29, when they take on Cape Verde in their Group C opener in Morocco.
Coach Kim Lars Björkegren and his team go into the match full of confidence after weeks of intensive preparations.
The Queens held a successful pre-tournament training camp and played friendly matches to fine-tune ahead of the competition.
With morale high, Ghana’s senior women’s team will be targeting maximum points to get their campaign off to the perfect start.
The match is set for 5:00 PM GMT at the Moulay Rachid Stadium.
Football fans across Ghana will be watching closely, hoping the Queens can secure a positive result and lay the foundation for a memorable WAFCON 2026 run.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
With the World Cup fever gradually dying down, attention would switch to other equally important competitions from now to the latter parts of the year.
Barely a week after the global football showpiece that saw Spain upstaged Argentina as World Champions, over 70 countries gathered in Glasgow, Scotland for the Commonwealth Games that is attracting hundreds of athletes from the Commonwealth community.
Equally, 16 top female national teams in Africa would commence competition for the bragging rights as African champions when the delayed Women’s Africa Cup of Nations 2026 kicks off in Morocco tomorrow.
The Super Falcons of Nigeria are usually considered favourites for this showpiece, having shown the strength and character to dominate the game on the continent.
As defending champions, they come in strongly again, expected to face a more difficult sides like the Black Queens of Ghana, Zambia and Morocco who have been touted as possible teams to cause an upset.
Of the 16 qualified teams, nine featured at the previous edition held in 2024.
Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tunisia, who qualified in 2024, missed out this time, while Cape Verde and Malawi will make their first appearance in the tournament.
Today, The Spectator Sports takes a look at some of the teams expected to rub shoulders with the big guns in the female game.
Cameroon
After missing the previous edition, Cameroon returns to the CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026 determined to re-establish themselves among Africa’s elite.
The Indomitable Lionesses, one of the continent’s most successful women’s national teams, secured a place at the expanded 16-team tournament after receiving a second chance through CAF’s revised qualification system.
Now, under newly appointed head coach Valentine Nguele and inspired by emerging midfield star Naomi Eto, Cameroon will be aiming not only to reclaim their place among Africa’s leading nations but also to secure qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Cameroon boasts one of the richest histories in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
The Indomitable Lionesses have reached the final on three occasions—in 2004, 2014 and 2016—but are still searching for their first continental title.
Their consistency has also been reflected in three third-place finishes in 2002, 2012 and 2018, giving Cameroon six podium finishes overall.
Only Nigeria and South Africa have accumulated more top-three finishes in the history of the competition, underlining Cameroon’s long-standing status among Africa’s leading women’s football nations.
Zambia
After finishing third in 2022 and falling short of expectations at the 2024 edition, Zambia head to the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026 determined to establish themselves among Africa’s elite.
With one of the continent’s most feared attacking units and new head coach Nora Häuptle at the helm, the Copper Queens will be aiming to lift the Women’s AFCON trophy for the first time.
Barbra Banda remains one of the biggest names in African women’s football.
The Orlando Pride striker has established herself among the leading forwards in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and returns to international competition after recovering from a hip injury suffered late last year.
Powerful, direct and clinical in front of goal, Banda will once again spearhead Zambia’s attack as the Copper Queens pursue their first continental title.
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso (Stallions Ladies) return to the competition determined to make history after missing the 2024 edition. Encouraged by an impressive qualifying campaign, the Stallions Ladies head to Morocco aiming to progress beyond the group stage for the first time.
Burkina Faso secured qualification with convincing victories over Burundi and Togo.
The Stallions Ladies defeated Burundi 5-1 on aggregate, following a commanding 4-1 first-leg victory before completing the job with a 1-0 win in the return fixture.
They carried that momentum into the final qualifying round against Togo, winning 2-0 in the first leg before sealing qualification with another 1-0 victory to complete a 3-0 aggregate success.
Nigeria
Reigning champions Nigerias head to Morocco 2026 looking to extend their remarkable record in the competition. With 10 continental titles to their name, the Super Falcons remain the most successful team in the tournament’s history..
Led by Captain Rasheedat Ajibade and head coach Justine Madugu, Nigeria once again begin the competition among the favourites.
Nigeria secured qualification to Morocco 2026 by defeating Benin 3-1 on aggregate in the second round of qualifying.
Having received a bye in the opening round, the Super Falcons took control of the tie with a 2-0 away victory in Cotonou.
They completed the job in Abeokuta, drawing 1-1 in the second leg after Ashleigh Plumptre opened the scoring before Benin equalised through Yasmine Djibril.
The result ensured another successful qualification campaign for the reigning African champions.
Cote d’Ivoire
After a 12-year absence from Africa’s biggest women’s football competition, Côte d’Ivoire returns to the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations aiming to re-establish themselves among the continent’s leading nations.
The Elephants secured an unexpected route back to the finals following the expansion of the tournament from 12 to 16 teams.
Now guided by experienced French coach Reynald Pedros and inspired by prolific striker Habibou Ouedraogo, Côte d’Ivoire believe they have the talent to challenge Africa’s established powers once again.
The Elephants were knocked out in the final qualifying round after a fiercely contested tie against Senegal. Neither side managed to score across the two legs, with Senegal eventually prevailing 5-4 on penalties to deny the Ivorians automatic qualification.
Following the expansion of the Women’s AFCON from 12 to 16 participating teams, CAF allocated the additional places based on the FIFA Women’s World Ranking.
⚽ Group A: Morocco, Algeria, Senegal, Kenya,
⚽ Group B: South Africa, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Tanzania
⚽ Group C: Nigeria, Zambia, Egypt, Malawi
⚽ Group D: Ghana, Cameroon, Mali, Cape Verde
By Andrew Nortey
