Ghana at the FIFA World Cup 2026

History

Ghana made their World Cup debut in 2006 in Germany, advancing from the group stage in their first appearance. Their finest hour came in 2010 in South Africa, where they became the last African side to reach the quarter-finals of a World Cup on African soil, narrowly losing to Uruguay in a penalty shoot-out after Luis Suarez's infamous handball on the line in the final minute of extra time. Ghana also appeared in 2014, exiting in the group stage, and returned in 2022 in Qatar. They have qualified for five of the six World Cups held since their debut in 2006, cementing their status as one of Africa's most consistent footballing nations. They have never won the tournament.

Qualification

Ghana qualified for the 2026 World Cup by topping CAF qualifying Group I with an impressive record of eight wins, one draw, and one loss, accumulating 25 points from 10 matches and scoring 23 goals while conceding only 6. A decisive victory over Comoros, featuring a goal by Mohammed Kudus, clinched first place in the group. This is Ghana's fifth World Cup qualification overall and their first since 2022. The qualification was overseen in its earlier stages by Otto Addo, who had returned to the role in March 2024, before he was dismissed in early 2026.

Preparation

Ghana's pre-tournament preparation has been turbulent. Coach Otto Addo was dismissed in April 2026 following heavy defeats in March 2026 friendlies, including a 5-1 loss to Austria and a 2-1 defeat to Germany, which dropped Ghana two places to 74th in the FIFA ranking. Carlos Queiroz, a 73-year-old Portuguese coach with extensive international experience including World Cups with Portugal and Iran, was appointed on April 13, 2026. Ghana lost 2-0 to Mexico in a friendly on May 22, 2026, at the Estadio Cuauhtemoc in Puebla, conceding to Brian Gutierrez inside two minutes and Guillermo Martinez in the 54th, extending a winless run. On May 26, 2026, Queiroz named a 28-man preliminary preparation squad and opened camp at Dragon Park in Cardiff ahead of a friendly against Wales on June 2, 2026. On May 30, 2026, the GFA clarified the final 26-man list would be drawn from that group with changes only for injury, with the final list expected around June 1. Defender Alexander Djiku (Spartak Moscow) was then ruled out of the tournament through an injury picked up in Spartak's Russian Cup final, and Pafos FC centre-back Derrick Luckassen was called up as his replacement. Ahead of the Wales test Queiroz insisted there are no friendlies once the shirt is on and that the team is ready to fly to the World Cup. The team's preparation has been described as chaotic, but Queiroz's disciplined tactical approach is expected to bring stability before the tournament.

Latest news

Derrick Luckassen called up as Djiku's replacement

· squad

Pafos FC centre-back Derrick Luckassen was called up to the Black Stars as a replacement for the injured Alexander Djiku. The 30-year-old, born in the Netherlands, made his senior Ghana debut in the March 2026 friendlies against Austria and Germany. He has linked up with the camp in Cardiff ahead of the Wales friendly.

Queiroz confirms Alexander Djiku ruled out of World Cup through injury

· injuries

Coach Carlos Queiroz confirmed in a press conference that defender Alexander Djiku (Spartak Moscow) will miss the 2026 World Cup. Djiku sustained a knock in Spartak's Russian Cup final against FC Krasnodar and was unable to train fully in the Cardiff camp; after medical assessment the technical team ruled him out to avoid aggravating the injury.

Queiroz says there are 'no friendlies when we wear the shirt' before Wales

· matches

Ahead of Ghana's friendly against Wales in Cardiff on 2 June 2026, Carlos Queiroz said the team is ready to 'take off and start the flight straight to the World Cup', that training had gone well, and that the match would be played to win rather than treated as a preparation exercise.

GFA: final 26-man squad to contain no new names beyond the Wales group

· squad

GFA Communications Director Henry Asante Twum said the final 26-man World Cup squad would be drawn from the 28-man preparation group, with changes only in case of injury: 'It is unlikely there will be changes to the squad unless there are injuries.' Two players would be cut, with the final list expected on 1 June 2026.

Squad

PlayerPositionClub
Benjamin AsareGKHearts of Oak
Lawrence Ati-ZigiGKFC St. Gallen
Joseph AnangGKSt Patrick's Athletic
Salomon AgbasiGKHearts of Oak
Paul ReversonGKAjax
Baba Abdul RahmanDFPAOK
Gideon MensahDFAJ Auxerre
Marvin SenayaDFAJ Auxerre
Alidu SeiduDFStade Rennes
Abdul MuminDFRayo Vallecano
Jerome OpokuDFİstanbul Başakşehir
Jonas AdjeteyDFVfL Wolfsburg
Kojo Peprah OppongDFOGC Nice
Derrick LuckassenDFPafos FC
Elisha OwusuMFAJ Auxerre
Thomas ParteyMFVillarreal CF
Kwasi SiboMFReal Oviedo
Augustine BoakyeMFSaint-Étienne
Caleb YirenkyiMFFC Nordsjælland
Abdul Fatawu IssahakuMFLeicester City
Kamaldeen SulemanaMFAtalanta
Christopher Bonsu BaahFWAl-Qadsiah
Ernest NuamahFWOlympique Lyonnais
Antoine SemenyoFWManchester City
Brandon Thomas-AsanteFWCoventry City
Prince Kwabena AduFWViktoria Plzeň
Iñaki WilliamsFWAthletic Club
Jordan AyewFWLeicester City

Recent results

  • 2023-11-17 — GHA 1-0 MAD (qualification)
  • 2023-11-21 — COM 1-0 GHA (qualification)
  • 2024-01-08 — GHA 0-0 NAM (friendly)
  • 2024-03-22 — NGA 2-1 GHA (friendly)
  • 2024-06-06 — MLI 1-2 GHA (qualification)
  • 2024-06-10 — GHA 4-3 CTA (qualification)
  • 2025-03-21 — GHA 5-0 CHA (qualification)
  • 2025-03-24 — MAD 0-3 GHA (qualification)
  • 2025-09-04 — CHA 1-1 GHA (qualification)
  • 2025-09-08 — GHA 1-0 MLI (qualification)
  • 2025-10-08 — CTA 0-5 GHA (qualification)
  • 2025-10-12 — GHA 1-0 COM (qualification)
  • 2025-11-18 — KOR 1-0 GHA (friendly)
  • 2026-03-27 — AUT 5-1 GHA (friendly)
  • 2026-03-30 — GER 2-1 GHA (friendly)
  • 2026-05-22 — MEX 2-0 GHA (friendly)

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