2026 FIFA WCQ: Ghana beats Mali to consolidate lead in Group I

Ghana’s Black Stars emerged with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Mali in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers to consolidate their lead in Group I of the qualifiers.

Alexander Djiku delivered an improvised finish in the 49th minute of the game off a corner kick from Jordan Ayew to give Ghana what turned out to be the winning goal.

Ghana had some decent opportunities on the counterattack late in the game to extend its lead and avoid a nervy ending to the contest, but wasted them.

The very physical game had poor passes as the biggest theme for long stretches from both teams prior to Djiku’s goal, which got Mali to dominate possession with Ghana leaning towards defending the lead.

Ghana goalkeeper Benjamin Asare was called into action as he was required to save long shots and dangerous crosses from Mali late on in the game.

Beating Mali and drawing 1-1 with Chad puts Ghana on 19 points with a goal difference of +11, three more points than second-ranked Madagascar.

Mali stay in fourth place in the group with 12 points while Comoros slot into third place with 15 points; Comoros take on Ghana at the Accra Sports Stadium in the final round of qualification games on October 11.