Ghana's Black Queens have demanded the immediate payment of outstanding bonuses and allowances as they prepare to continue their pursuit of a place at the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup.
In a statement released Wednesday, the players listed unpaid items including an Egypt 2025 bonus, their Women's Africa Cup of Nations qualification bonus, group-stage bonuses from the ongoing WAFCON, and outstanding per diem payments.
They also called for better management support for players and officials, as well as mental health and well-being support.
"We believe that financial commitments to players should be honoured on time and that the welfare of national team players must be treated as a priority," the players said.
The latest dispute comes at a particularly delicate point for Ghana, who face Ivory Coast on Thursday in a playoff that will determine whether they advance to the inter-confederation playoffs for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.
Ghana were forced into that route after a 2-1 quarterfinal defeat to debutants Malawi on Sunday denied them an automatic World Cup place. Malawi have since advanced to the final and will face Cameroon on Sunday.
The four WAFCON semifinalists qualified directly for Brazil, while the four losing quarterfinalists, including Nigeria and South Africa, will play for two places in the inter-confederation playoffs.
Frustration over money is not new for the Black Queens. Their current dispute follows another bonus row from less than a year ago.
Ahead of the second leg of their WAFCON qualifier against Egypt in October 2025, the players boycotted training while demanding outstanding bonuses reported at the time to total $9,500 per player. Ghanaian media reported that Sports Minister Kofi Iddie Adams met the players and asked them to play the match, with assurances that the money would be paid.
The Black Queens went on to beat Egypt 4-0 in Accra after a 3-0 first-leg victory in Ismailia, completing a 7-0 aggregate win to qualify for the current WAFCON.
At the 2024 WAFCON, which was postponed and eventually played in Morocco in July 2025, Ghana reached the semifinals before losing to host Morocco on penalties. The Black Queens recovered to defeat South Africa 4-3 in another shootout after a 1-1 draw and claim the bronze medal.
It was an important return to prominence for a team that had missed the previous two editions of the tournament before qualifying under former coach Nora Häuptle.
Ghana had once been among Africa's leading women's teams, and the biggest threat to Nigeria's Super Falcons, finishing runners-up at WAFCON three times and appearing at three consecutive World Cups between 1999 and 2007, but then went through an extended period away from the continent's biggest stages.
The financial battles, however, go back much further. In 2010, Black Queens players complained that bonuses and allowances from a two-leg qualifying tie had not been fully paid. Reports at the time said each player was owed $6,000 in match bonuses, in addition to unpaid allowances.
Six years later, the dispute became public and considerably more dramatic.
Black Queens players marched in Accra and went to Parliament in December 2016, demanding bonuses that had accumulated from their gold medal at the 2015 All Africa Games, the 2016 Olympic qualifiers, and their third-place finish at the 2016 WAFCON in Cameroon. Some reports put the arrears at about $25,000 per player.
That protest followed earlier complaints after the All Africa Games, when the players had already pushed for payment following their gold-medal success.
A decade later, the Black Queens find themselves publicly asking for outstanding payments again.
"We dedicate our time, energy and careers to representing Ghana," the players continued in their statement.
"We train, travel and compete under immense pressure, making personal sacrifices to make our country proud. Our request is simple: transparency, accountability, fairness and respect."
The players also expressed disappointment with the level of official support they have received during the tournament, saying Sports Minister Adams attended only their first official training session where Ghana President John Dramani Mahama was also present.
"Apart from that occasion, we have largely had to rely on ourselves, our teammates and our technical staff throughout this journey," the statement said. "We deeply appreciate the support of our staff, who have stood by us."
The players stressed that the statement was not intended as an attack on the government or football authorities.
"We want to make it clear that this statement is not intended to create conflict or disrespect anyone," they said. "We believe in the Black Queens and want to see the team develop in a professional and supportive environment."