Sports
Premier League: Accra Hearts of Oak eye fast start against debutants Hohoe United on Friday night
Accra Hearts of Oak will launch their 2025/26 Premier League campaign with a home tie against newly promoted Hohoe United at the Accra Sports Stadium on Friday, September 12, 2025.
The Phobians enter the season as strong contenders for the title, while their opponents will be making their long-awaited debut in the country’s top-flight competition.
The 2024/25 season offered renewed optimism for Hearts of Oak after they finished fourth in the 2024-25 campaign. The Phobians finished fourth with 16 wins, 10 draws and only 8 defeats, the joint-second lowest tally in the top-flight.
They also boasted one of the league’s best defensive records, conceding just 18 goals across 34 matches.
Yet, despite their progress, one statistic continues to haunt them: Hearts have failed to win any of their last four Premier League season openers (D1, L3). Head coach Mas-Ud Didi Dramani and his players will be eager to break that trend in front of their home fans.
The capital giant has also strengthened significantly in the transfer market. High-profile recruit Prince Kwabena Owusu, formerly of Gold Stars FC, headlines the list of arrivals, alongside other notable additions designed to add depth and quality across the pitch.
Pre-season performances have been encouraging, with Hearts securing three wins and a draw, including a strong showing in the GHALCA Top Four competition. These results suggest the Phobians are well-prepared to mount a serious title challenge this season.
Hohoe United – Newcomers with Big Dreams
For Hohoe United, the match represents a historic milestone, their first-ever fixture in the Premier League. The Zone Three champions secured promotion in emphatic fashion last season, amassing an impressive 72 points from 30 matches (W23, D3, L4). Their dominance saw them outpace promotion rivals Port City FC and Okwahu United to seal their place in the top tier.
One of United’s standout strengths last season was their away form. They collected 27 points on the road, the second-highest total in the Access Bank Division One League. Such resilience on their travels could prove crucial as they adapt to the tougher challenges of top-flight football.
Keenly aware of the demands ahead, Hohoe United have bolstered their squad with several experienced campaigners. Among them are Ebenezer Amega from Legon Cities, Kwaku Musah from FC Nania, Rainmasters’ Daniel Osei Senior and former Great Olympics forward Michael Yeboah.
These signings bring a blend of quality and know-how, and will be central to United’s efforts to avoid the drop in their debut campaign. United will be looking to defy the odds and claim a memorable result against one of Ghana’s most storied and decorated clubs in their maiden Premier League outing.
Head-to-Head
This fixture marks the first-ever competitive meeting between Hearts of Oak and Hohoe United in Premier League history, adding an extra layer of intrigue to Friday’s clash.
What to Expect
The Accra Sports Stadium is set for an electric atmosphere as Hearts of Oak seek to begin their season on the front foot, backed by their passionate fans. For Hohoe United, the occasion offers both a daunting challenge and an opportunity to announce themselves on the big stage.
With one side eager to launch a title push and the other hungry to prove they belong, this season opener promises to deliver drama, intensity, and perhaps even history.
Ghana Premier League side, Nations FC, may have suffered the drop in the just ended Premier League and are destined for a fresh campaign in the Division One League (DOL).
But they stand a huge chance of remaining in the elite stage of the game as they face Dreams FC in an epic MTN FA Cup final at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium tomorrow at 6pm.
Dreams FC have been there before; going ahead to taste the honours in the 2022-23 season after defeating King Faisal.
Coming from a season that saw them crawl from the initial stages of the league to finish on a respectable fourth position, they come in as strong favourites to double their honours in the nation’s second top football competition.
History favours them in this regard. On their first final, they conquered and based on this, connoisseurs of the game have tipped them to make it ‘two-on-two.’
But Nations FC have been empowered by the age-old adage that “He that is down need fear no fall.”
Nothing can be worse than suffering relegation and exiting the limelight as far as exposure is concerned.
But the FA offers a decent opportunity to make them stay relevant.
Conquering Dreams FC would not just make them MTN FA Cup champions. It will grant them the prestigious slot to represent Ghana in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) second tier club competition- the Confederations Cup.
With Dreams FC harbouring the same ambitions, the stage is, therefore, set for a final that promises to be explosive and uncompromising.
The situation of Nations FC might have come to many as a surprise, considering their promising start to the season, with their defence especially, marshalled by Black Stars defender, Razak Simpson, and colleague central defender, Raymond Grippman, earning a lot of reviews.
But despite the struggles they endured at certain times of their campaign, the MTN FA Cup always provided slices of good fortunes as they managed to navigate their way to the final.
Road to the top
Nations FC began the MTN FA Cup competition on a promising note, enjoying some good runs with a win over DOL Zone Two side, Ebony FC, in the Round of 64.
That landed them in a tricky encounter with another high-flying Zone Two candidate, AshantiGold SC, a side that eventually won the title from the zone to qualify to the Premier League, but escaped.
At the round of 16 stage, they encountered and defeated Ghana Premier League side, Swedru All Blacks, 2-1 to gain progression to the quarter final stage where they edged Berekum Chelsea on penalties.
A dicey semi-final awaited them against Aduana FC in Swedru. It was a game Nations was given little chance to escape considering Aduana FC’s form but once again, they conquered to secure a final berth.
In total, the Abrankese-based club have scored eight goals and conceded only two throughout the competition, making them one of the strongest defensive sides in the tournament.
For Dreams FC, they defeated Division One League Zone Three side, Semper Fi, 2-1 to progress to the next stage of the competition where they accounted for Division Two side, Asanska FC, 2-0.
That handed them a quarterfinal berth where they faced Inter Allies and drew one all before winning 4-3 on penalties.
The happiest moment in their success story was a 3-2 semi-final win over GPL winners, Medeama SC.
With that feat, Dreams have been touted as potential winners as the match comes at a time the Nations FC side may be psychologically down over the weight of the challenge they face in the next season.
However, the competition has gain notoriety for not following any form guide and outcomes mostly coming as major surprises.
In this regard, Dreams may be tipped as favourite candidates but though Nations are wounded, the stakes could revive an insatiable desire to apply the brakes to turn the dreams of Dreams FC into a nightmare.
Support
The support from MTN Ghana has no doubt improved competition among the clubs with the attractive incentive packages for participating clubs.
MTN Ghana, which is celebrating 30 years of operations in Ghana, formally became headline sponsors of the Ghana FA Cup in the 2010/2011 football season after the competition had returned from an eight-year hiatus.
The first edition under MTN sponsorship was won by Nania FC, who defeated Asante Kotoko 1–0 in the final at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Since then, the competition has been known as the MTN FA Cup, with MTN renewing its sponsorship several times — in 2013, 2017, 2020 and again for subsequent seasons.
By Andrew Nortey
The Black Stars have opened camp in Cardiff ahead of next week’s international friendly against Wales.
The team is being taken through training drills by head coach Carlos Queiroz.
Thirteen players trained at Dragon Park on Monday, with others expected to join the squad on Tuesday.
They include Ernest Nuamah, Brandon Thomas-Asante, Jordan Ayew, Caleb Yirenkyi, Abdul Fatawu Issahaku, Elisha Owusu, Gideon Mensah, Marvin Senaya, Jerome Opoku, Benjamin Asare, Joseph Anang, Solomon Agbasi, and Alidu Seidu.
The Black Stars will train in Cardiff for one week ahead of the international friendly against Wales on Tuesday, June 2, before traveling to the United States of America.
Coach Carlos Queiroz will use the period to assess his players before naming his final squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Twenty-six players will be submitted to FIFA on Monday, June 1, as mandated by the competition regulations.
The Black Stars are drawn in Group L with Panama, England, and Croatia. They will open their World Cup campaign against Panama on June 17 in Toronto before facing England and Croatia in their other group matches.
