Hong Kong withdraw from Pink Ladies Cup amid Middle East tensions; Ghana yet to decide

2026-03-04 - 04:05

Hong Kong has officially withdrawn from the ongoing Pink Ladies Cup in Dubai following missile strikes in the United Arab Emirates, triggered by Iranian retaliatory attacks over the weekend. The Football Association of Hong Kong, China, confirmed the decision in a statement, citing player and staff safety as the top priority. "Due to the continuously tense situation in the Middle East, the HKFA has formally written to the organisers of the Pink Ladies Cup 2026 that the Hong Kong, China women's representative team will withdraw from the tournament and will not participate in the remaining matches, with the safety of staff and players as the top priority." Hong Kong had lost their opening game 4-0 to Ghana and were scheduled to face Tanzania and Russia on March 4 and March 6, respectively. Meanwhile, Ghana's Black Queens remain in Dubai and have continued their participation in the tournament. The team opened their campaign with a 4-0 win over Hong Kong before thrashing Russia by the same score line in their second match. Ghana are scheduled to conclude their Pink Ladies Cup campaign against Tanzania on Friday, March 6. The tournament serves as crucial preparation for the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco later this month. Tanzania and Russia have also not announced any withdrawal from the competition. Send your news stories to [email protected] and via WhatsApp on +233 546310076.