Accra, March 11 (IANS): Ghana will play two international football friendlies later this month to prepare for the upcoming qualifiers for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Ghana Football Association (GFA) president Kwesi Nyantakyi confirmed the friendlies to the media on Tuesday but failed to name the teams, reports Xinhua.

The match against the yet-to-be-named teams will be played on March 28 and March 31, Nyantakyi said.

Ghana had planned to play Nigeria on March 29 in London but that game was cancelled by FIFA based on its regulation which prohibits teams from playing on two different continents within a short period of time.

The cancellation has left Ghana without an opponent ahead of the international friendly dates.

There are however reports in the media that the Black Stars has lined up friendlies against West African neighbours Senegal and Mali in France during the FIFA free dates this month.

"Let me say that we have two games on the 28th and 31st. We are yet to sign the contracts.

"We will be signing the contracts any time soon and so when we sign we will confirm the opponents. But we have gone very far in the discussions and negotiations and very soon we will make it public," he told a press conference.

The friendly matches will be Ghana's first assignment after the 2015 AFCON in Equatorial Guinea where the Black Stars finished second.

The 2017 AFCON qualifiers kick off in June.