Everything You Need to Know About Ghana Before the 2026 World Cup

All Things Ghana: News, Fixtures, Predictions, and What to Expect from the Black Stars

Ghana have only been to four previous editions of the FIFA World Cup, with the 21st century proving to be a turning point in Ghanaian international football.

Since qualifying for their first World Cup in 2006, they have only missed Russia and have proven themselves to be true competitors every time they play on the world’s biggest stage.

Of course, we all remember their iconic showing in South Africa, which ended in one of the most controversial moments in World Cup history, costing them a historic top four spot as a result.

From then, earning what ended up being a meaningless draw with future champions Germany in 2014, to another solid group stage showing in Qatar, Ghana will be hoping to turn even more heads in North America and prove they can still compete with some of the best.

They do not head over the Atlantic with a fully fledged full-strength squad, but they are more than capable of doing their fans proud. Is there another fairytale run in store for the Black Stars?

🚨🇬🇭 OFFICIAL: Ghana release World Cup squad by Carlos Queiroz. pic.twitter.com/Jdz3ac7mfy

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 2, 2026

Ghana’s Road to Qualification

Ghana were once again one of the automatically qualified nations following the initial group stage section of qualifying.

In the CAF confederation, there are nine groups of six teams, where the winners of each group automatically qualify for the World Cup, while the top four second-placed teams enter a playoff. Those four teams then battle it out, with the winner then entering into the intercontinental playoffs alongside nations from other confederations for two final spots – this time won by Iraq and DR Congo.

For Ghana, they were drawn into Group I, alongside Madagascar, Mali, Comoros, Central African Republic, and Chad. The Black Stars navigated through the group with ease, losing just once and drawing one to accumulate 25 points.

Moreover, they proved to be the entertainers of the stage, with just two other nations scoring more goals than their 23, pairing that with six conceded too, they have been solid all round.

A draw in Chad and loss in Comoros were sandwiched between very solid beginnings and even better endings to their qualification to North America. They ended their qualifying campaign with an overall 7-0 aggregate scoreline in wins over Mali, CAR, and Comoros.

However, that win against Comoros in October was their last international victory, since then going seven friendlies without a win. To make matters worse, they have only scored in three and have not scored more than a goal in any.

And things only get worse…

Ghana’s 2026 World Cup Squad

Widely experienced Portuguese boss Carlos Queiroz is used to making big squad decisions for international tournaments, but this time certain decisions unfortunately happened for him.

Let’s begin with some of the key inclusions, however, notably Manchester City’s Antoine Semenyo is one to keep an eye on. The forward has been influential for both Bournemouth and Man City in the past Premier League seasons, with both sides opting to even vote for him to be named as Player of the Season, while he is also shortlisted for transfer signing of the season.

They are plenty of familiar names in this squad, but most of them lie higher up the pitch, aside from Abdul Baba Rahman. The ex-Chelsea defender has made the squad at 31, meaning this could be his last time to grace the field at a World Cup.

Relegated Leicester City duo Abdul Fatawu and Jordan Ayew have also made the plane. Fatawu will be at his first World Cup, while Ayew will travel to his third World Cup. Scoring three goals already for the Black Stars, Ayew will also be hoping he can score at each World Cup he plays in too, while Fatawu will hope to announce himself on the global stage.

A controversial name to board the plane is Thomas Partey. To Ghana boss Queiroz and many Villarreal and Ghana supporters outside England, he is innocent until proven guilty; however, due to his history in England, there are currently internal discussions going on as to how the England players will approach the ex-Arsenal midfielder in a few weeks time.

🚨 The English FA are considering how England players should approach the traditional pre-match handshakes with Thomas ahead of their World Cup game against Ghana.

Partey is currently awaiting trial in the UK on multiple charges, all of which he denies.

Ghana boss Carlos… pic.twitter.com/ZNAqa7gcDv

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) June 3, 2026

One big name to unfortunately be missing out on what would be his second World Cup is Tottenham Hotspur’s Mohammed Kudus. The 25-year-old suffered a quad injury in January, but after suffering a setback in March, will not make it back in time for the World Cup.

The Ghana squad for the 2026 World Cup is as follows:

Goalkeepers: Benjamin Asare (Accra Hearts), Lawrence Ait-Zigi (St. Gallen), Joseph Anang (St Pat’s)

Defenders: Baba Rahman (PAOK), Gideon Mensah (Auxerre), Marvin Senaya (Auxerre), Alidu Seidu (Rennes), Abdul Mumin (Rayo Vallecano), Jerome Opoku (Basaksehir), Jonas Adjetey (Wolfsburg), Kojo Oppong (Nice), Derrick Luckassen (Pafos)

Midfielders: Elisha Owusu (Auxerre), Thomas Partey (Villarreal), Kwasi Sibo (Real Oviedo), Augustine Boakye (Saint-Etienne), Caleb Yirenkyi (Nordsjælland), Abdul Fatawu (Leicester), Kamaldeen Sulemana (Atalanta)

Forwards: Christopher Bonsu Baah (Al Qadsiah), Ernest Nuamah (Lyon), Antoine Semenyo (Manchester City), Brandon Thomas-Asante (Coventry), Prince Adu (Viktoria Plzen), Inaki Williams (Athletic Club), Jordan Ayew (Leicester)

Key Players to Watch for Ghana at the 2026 World Cup

Antoine Semenyo

Semenyo comes into this summer off his best return of his career, scoring over 20 goals in all competitions for both Bournemouth and Man City, and could prove a real threat to any and all teams his nation is set to face in the coming weeks.

17 goals in 37 Premier League games proves his quality in front of goal, but his creativity is something that is also not to be scoffed at. He created 39 chances for teammates this season, while completing 59 dribbles – with him at the ball in the final third, Ghana have a very strong chance in causing some serious upsets.

Kamaldeen Sulemana

Many Saints fans will watching their former player closely this summer. Sulemana was a solid servant to the south coast club and has since gained some serious top tier experience elsewhere.

Now plying his trade in Bergamo for Atalanta, he has played nine games in the UEFA Champions League, and his elite experience at such a young age could prove to be exactly what his team needs when the pressure is on.

Manchester City forward Antoine Semenyo, Coventry striker Brandon Thomas-Asante and Leicester duo Jordan Ayew and Abdul Fatawu are all included in Ghana's preliminary World Cup squad and will face Wales in a friendly in June🏴#BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/fJ84wtInPV

— BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) May 26, 2026

Brandon Thomas-Asante

This pick might come out of left field for many, but Thomas-Asante has had a seriously impressive season this year, in turn helping Coventry City to a Championship title and a Premier League return.

By far the best personal season he has had, with 17 goal contributions in 21 starts, the forward will playing with plenty of freedom on the world’s biggest stage, and could be the surprise package his country needs, even if it is off the bench.

He will also be donning the legendary number 10 jersey, so there might be some expectation for the 27-year-old after all.

Ghana’s Group and Path to the 2026 World Cup Final

Due to their certain underdog status being evident coming into this tournament, many bookies and data points have Ghana to have one of the more disappointing finishes they have experienced at World Cups. Via betminer, the Black Stars have just a 39.1% chance of making the round of 32, which comes down sharply to 12.2% to make the last 16.

This is definitely understandable judging by their very strong looking group. Queiroz’s side were drawn into Group L, and will be joined by England, Croatia, and Panama – all of which are ranked higher in the FIFA rankings.

Realistically, the only game of which Ghana could potentially win on paper is against Panama, since both Croatia and England have far better-quality squads and depth and will likely both get past Ghana with relative ease.

However, Panama do not have the same level of squad as the European nations, and they could also struggle in this group. It could come down to the winner of this fixture as to who will progress pass the group in third.

Looking at most likely scenarios, if Ghana were to suffer close defeats or even get a draw against England and/or Croatia, before beating Panama, they could get through as a third-place team. However, like the simulator suggested, they may not make it farther than that. Third would get a tie against the winners of Group K, where a very strong Portugal side or Colombia awaits in the round of 32 and they could exit that way.

Alternatively, if a miracle occurs, and Ghana can beat Panama AND one of England or Croatia, they could progress as second place. However, this could also see them land the same fate as coming third. Second place guarantees a fixture against runners-up in Group K. Again, this is most likely to be either Portugal or Colombia, so again it would be difficult to see them going farther.

These prospective matches shows if Ghana want to make a fairytale run, they will have to cause some huge shocks in North America.

The dates and venues of Ghana’s three Group L fixtures are as follows:

• 18th June: Ghana versus Panama (12:00 am British Summer Time), Toronto Stadium, Ontario
• 23rd June: England versus Ghana (9:00 pm British Summer Time), Boston Stadium, Massachusetts
• 27th June: Croatia versus Ghana (10:00 pm British Summer Time), Philadelphia Stadium, Pennsylvania
  

Predicting How Ghana Will Do at the World Cup

Will Ghana Top Group L?

This would be amazing if it happened, but let’s keep it real. They will not top the group.

This would certainly be a massive shock. With both Croatia and England in their group – two nations who have both had deep runs at the two previous editions of the World Cup, it is very unlikely.

Furthermore, the most likely scenarios suggest that even if they managed to get out of the group, they would likely not make it any farther.

How Far Will Ghana Go?

We believe that Ghana’s group and current situation scream out a third-place finish, and dependant on if they can draw with England or Croatia and if they find a win against Panama will see if they find a way out of the group, but there is a very possible chance they will not break out and into the knockout stages.

What Factor Will Impact Ghana’s Tournament The Most?

Antoine Semenyo’s ability to step up as Ghana’s main man. Following his terrific season in England, the English lads know what this man is capable of. With Kudus also out, I think Ghana’s run could depend massively on whether Semenyo can embrace his chance on the World Cup stage and seriously ruffle some feathers of big names.