Burkina Faso forward Ousseni Bouda was left saddened after Ghana failed to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.

The Black Stars finished bottom of Group F and failed to win a game in the qualifiers for the first time in history.

Bouda, who spent four years in Ghana with Right to Dream, believes a giant like Ghana should be at the AFCON.

“I was following every game and I watched it closely as well. I'm really sad that Ghana is not going to be able to participate. Especially when you think of the history of African football, Ghana has always been a giant, and you sort of expect to see Ghana at every AFCON,” he told Flashscore in an interview.

During his time at Right to Dream Academy, Bouda trained alongside several talented players who have since made their mark in professional football.

He shared dorms with future stars like Mohammed Kudus and Abu Francis, Mohamed Diomande, and Ibrahim Sadiq, creating lasting friendships that fueled their collective ambitions.

The 24-year-old explains it would have been a dream come true to face some of his former academy mates in the continental showpiece.

“I was really hoping to see Ghana and then maybe hopefully play against some of these guys that I grew up with at Right to Dream. But I know that Ghana would bounce back because there's a lot of potential and I hope they can figure things out.”

The San Jose Earthquakes forward scored one goal for Burkina Faso in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers and will hope to represent the Stallions in Morocco next December.