Frank Petersen Begins New Chapter with Ghana’s Black Queens as Goalkeepers Coach Ahead of WAFCON 2026

CASABLANCA, Morocco — Danish goalkeeping specialist Frank Petersen has officially begun his new assignment as the goalkeeper coach of Ghana’s senior women’s national football team, the Black Queens, as the team intensifies preparations for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.

Petersen, who was appointed by the Ghana Football Association on July 11, joins the technical team headed by Swedish head coach Kim Lars Björkegren, with the Black Queens currently based in Morocco for a training camp ahead of the continental tournament.

Speaking about his new role, Petersen described the appointment as a major opportunity in his coaching career, expressing his determination to contribute to the development of Ghana's goalkeepers and the success of the national team.

"I'm Frank Petersen, I am the goalkeeper coach. I am from Denmark. This job is very big for me. To be goalkeeper coach for Ghana, for the Black Queens, is something that is a big job. It's a big opportunity for me," he said.

Petersen said his immediate focus is to help the Black Queens achieve positive results at the tournament while laying the foundations for the long-term development of women's goalkeeping in Ghana.

"I'm here to do the best for the goalkeepers, for the team, for Ghana. I'm here in the short term to make some good results, and in the long term, I'm sure we will see some giant steps for female goalkeepers in Ghana," he explained.

The Danish coach brings previous experience of working in African football and says his links with Ghana have also been strengthened through his association with FC Nordsjælland's Right to Dream programme in Denmark.

According to Petersen, his experience with the Right to Dream system has given him some understanding of Ghanaian football culture and allowed him to work with or become familiar with some players in the current Black Queens squad.

"I know a little bit about the culture in Ghana. I've been working for FC Nordsjælland, Right to Dream in Denmark, and I also know some of the players in the squad from Denmark. So it's not new for me, but it's new to be full-time, 100 percent connected to Ghanaian football," he said.

Petersen has already started implementing his approach, emphasising teamwork and collective responsibility among the goalkeepers rather than treating the goalkeeper unit as a relationship between one coach and one player.

He revealed that the goalkeepers who are not in the starting lineup are being encouraged to take an active role in the team's preparations, including assisting with analysis and discussions.

"My goal is first of all that we have to bring in the goalkeepers and me, we are one team. We are not just one coach and one goalkeeper. We are a team," Petersen said.

"Already now, I start to use the two goalkeepers that are not playing as my small assistant coaches. We have meetings every day, we talk a lot. I'm the one who has the responsibility for what's going on with the goalkeepers, but I can't do it myself. We have to be a unit, a team."

The coach believes the Black Queens have a strong goalkeeping department, with three goalkeepers in camp who have earned their places through competition and quality performances.

Rather than allowing rivalry for the starting position to divide the group, Petersen wants the three goalkeepers to remain prepared and supportive of one another so that whoever is selected can perform at the highest level.

"We have three very good goalkeepers, and they are here because they are good. There has been a long competition between the goalkeepers in Ghana, and now we have three here. So now it's more about keeping the three of them ready to perform when they need to perform," he said.

Petersen also highlighted the importance of personality and mental strength in goalkeeping, arguing that technical ability alone is not enough to reach the highest level.

"I like the goalkeepers with some kind of personality because you can be the best technical goalkeeper in the world, but if you don't have the personality, it's difficult to get to the highest," he noted.

He also stressed the importance of maintaining emotional balance, particularly in a high-pressure tournament environment.

"Most of the time I try to stay calm because it's very difficult to make the right decision if you are out of balance," he said.

Building a Modern Goalkeeping Style

One of Petersen's key areas of focus is developing the goalkeepers' ability to contribute to the team's overall style of play.

He believes the Black Queens' goalkeepers already possess good technical ability with their feet, but says the next step is to integrate that strength more effectively into Ghana's tactical approach.

"Technically, our goalkeepers are pretty good with the feet. We just have to add on and add on because that is a part of the goalkeeper style now. Goalkeepers have to be very good with the feet, and they are," Petersen explained.

The coach wants the goalkeepers to become increasingly involved in build-up play, using their distribution to help the team control possession and create attacking opportunities.

He also plans to work on the goalkeepers' role in transitions, including situations following set pieces, where quick and accurate distribution can potentially create opportunities to catch opponents off guard.

"We just have to work more and more with it, so it's becoming a bigger part of our style of play that we can use the goalkeeper, for example, in the build-up. We will also have more focus on using the goalkeepers in good transitions and after set pieces, so that we can do something that can hurt the other team," he said.

Tactical Preparation for WAFCON Opponents

With Ghana facing a challenging Group C campaign at WAFCON 2026, Petersen says detailed opposition analysis will be central to his work.

The goalkeeper coach plans to study Ghana's opponents, analyse their attacking players and provide the goalkeepers with information that can help them prepare for each match.

"I will do my best to do the background track to check on the teams that we are going to face. I will inform the players already after one game, we look into the next game and prepare the goalkeepers for this," Petersen said.

He added that he already has some knowledge of the teams Ghana will face and will use footage of players based in Europe to support the team's preparations.

"I have some knowledge about the other teams. They have players playing in Europe, I have clips. So we will work hard on preparing the goalkeepers," he added.

Managing Players During a Long Tournament Camp

Beyond technical and tactical preparations, Petersen also recognises the importance of managing the mental and emotional wellbeing of players during an extended training camp.

He says the coaching staff must constantly assess the mood and condition of players and adapt their approach depending on what the team needs on a particular day.

"When you are in a camp for a long time, we are only human beings. We will have all ups and downs. That is also my responsibility together with the rest of the staff to look the players, the goalkeepers, in the eyes and see where are we today?" he explained.

Petersen believes effective coaching involves knowing when to demand maximum intensity and when to create space for players to relax, interact and recover mentally.

"Is it today we are training hard? Is it today we are trying to joke a little bit? Is it today I take a walk and talk with one of the goalkeepers? I have to try to balance. So we are on top when we have to be on top," he said.

His approach reflects an emphasis on building trust and communication within the goalkeeping department as Ghana prepares for one of the biggest tournaments on the women's football calendar.

Black Queens Set for WAFCON Group C Challenge

The Black Queens will enter the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations under the leadership of head coach Kim Lars Björkegren, with Petersen now part of the technical team responsible for ensuring that Ghana's goalkeepers are ready for the continental challenge.

The tournament will take place in Morocco from July 25 to August 16, 2026, bringing together Africa's leading women's national teams in a competition that will also have major implications for qualification to the FIFA Women's World Cup.

Ghana's revised Group C schedule will see the Black Queens open their campaign against Cape Verde on Wednesday, July 29, at the Moulay Rachid Stadium in Casablanca, with kick-off at 17:00 GMT.

The team will then face Cameroon on Sunday, August 2, at the same venue, with the match also scheduled for 17:00 GMT.

Ghana will conclude the group stage against Mali on Thursday, August 6, in a match scheduled for 20:00 GMT at the Moulay Rachid Stadium.

The revised fixture schedule follows adjustments made by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which also resulted in the Black Queens' team base being moved from Fez to Casablanca.

Black Queens Group C Fixtures

July 29: Ghana vs Cape Verde — 17:00 GMT, Moulay Rachid Stadium, Casablanca

August 2: Ghana vs Cameroon — 17:00 GMT, Moulay Rachid Stadium, Casablanca

August 6: Ghana vs Mali — 20:00 GMT, Moulay Rachid Stadium, Casablanca

As Ghana prepares for its WAFCON campaign, Petersen's arrival adds a new dimension to the technical team's efforts to strengthen the goalkeeping department.

His philosophy is built around technical development, tactical awareness, teamwork, mental strength and detailed preparation. Having started his assignment with a clean sheet, Petersen is already looking ahead with an ambitious target for the Black Queens.

"We started very well yesterday with a clean sheet, and we are going to collect clean sheets from now on," he said.

For Petersen, the WAFCON assignment represents both an immediate challenge and a long-term opportunity. While his priority is to help Ghana compete for continental honours and secure a strong tournament outcome, he also hopes his work will contribute to a stronger pipeline of female goalkeepers capable of representing the country at the highest level for years to come.