Ghana's Black Stars welcome Comoros to Accra Sports Stadium for the final day of the World Cup qualifying series, knowing that avoiding defeat would be enough to seal their ticket to the Mundial.
The Black Stars are three points clear of second-placed Madagascar, while the visitors are no longer in contention for qualification to the mundial.
Ghana, who made their World Cup debut in 2006, remains one of Africa’s most consistent participants at the Mundial in recent times, having missed only one edition since then.
Otto Addo’s men are now on the verge of another appearance, courtesy of a dominant qualifiying campaign that has seen them win seven of their nine games to sit top of Group I with 22 points.
The Black Stars’ only blemishes in that run came in a 1-0 defeat to Comoros in round two and a 1-1 draw away to Chad on matchday seven, but back-to-back victories over Mali (1-0) and Chad (5-0) have left the team in pole position to secure a fifth appearance on the global stage.
With a goal difference of +8 over Madagascar, it would take something extraordinary for Ghana to surrender top spot on the final day, and the four-time African champions could even look to press their advantage given their impressive numbers.
Ghana have netted 22 times so far – the joint most in the qualifiers – while conceding only six at the other end, which reflects a side that is solid in both attack and defence as the Black Stars aim to clinch qualification in style.
Comoros, meanwhile, travel to Accra seeking to end their campaign on a high after giving their all in pursuit of a first-ever World Cup berth, though their midweek defeat dashed any remaining hopes.
Les Coelacantes needed a win against Madagascar to move second, but a sluggish start saw Stefano Cusin’s men fall behind to Clement Couturier’s early strike before conceding again in the 73rd minute, with Rafiki Said’s late effort proving mere consolation.
Now four points adrift of second place and out of contention, Comoros sit fourth in Group I with 15 points from five wins and four losses, having scored 12 and conceded the same number.
With two wins and as many draws from four away games in the qualifiers, the question now is whether Les Coelacantes can pull off an upset against hosts who have won all four of their home fixtures.