Asante Kotoko win 2025 Champion-of-Champions title after narrow win over Gold Stars

Asante Kotoko has clinched the 2025 Champion-of-Champions trophy on Sunday after edging Bibiani Gold Stars 1-0 in a closely contested encounter.

The Porcupine Warriors, who had endured a winless run against the Miners in the recently concluded 2025 GHALCA Top 4 tournament, hosted Gold Stars at DUNS Park for the curtain-raiser of the 2025/26 Ghana Premier League season.

The decisive moment came in the 69th minute when Kotoko’s attacking play down the right flank earned them a free kick.

Substitute Musa Hamzata, recently signed from Accra Lions to bolster the defence, capitalised on the set piece with a clinical tap-in, securing the solitary goal of the match.

Despite intense pressure in the closing stages, Bibiani Gold Stars were unable to convert their opportunities, leaving Kotoko to hold on for the victory.

This triumph adds the Champion-of-Champions cup to Kotoko’s growing trophy cabinet, following their successful campaigns in the FA Cup, the 2025 President’s Cup, and the Toyota Cup victory over Kaizer Chiefs at Moses Mabhida Stadium.

While the match offered both sides valuable preparation ahead of the domestic season, it also provides a platform for their upcoming continental commitments.

Bibiani Gold Stars will face Algeria’s JS Kabylie, while Asante Kotoko take on Nigeria’s Kwara United in the preliminary rounds of CAF interclub competitions.