The Black Stars are ready to shine again at the FIFA World Cup
. Ghana have qualified for the global showpiece for the second successive tournament and will be aiming to match their peak performance at South Africa 2010, where they reached the quarter-finals.
This will be Ghana’s fifth appearance on football’s biggest stage, with coach Otto Addo taking the reins once more. After failing to get past the group stage at Brazil 2014 and Qatar 2022, Ghana are determined to recapture former glories and reach the knockout rounds.
Ghana coach: Otto Addo
Addo is the first — and only — Ghanaian to play for and coach the Black Stars at the FIFA World Cup, having been part of the inaugural squad at the global finals at Germany 2006 and then leading the African nation to Qatar 2022. After leaving the role to return to Borussia Dortmund, he was reappointed in March 2024 following the exit of Chris Hughton after the country’s first-round exit at the Africa Cup of Nations.
The move did not initially go according to plan, however, with the Black Stars failing to even qualify for the 2025 edition of the continental competition.
Addo defiantly refused to resign despite widespread calls to do so. “I’m not the person who can resign. If I had done this, I’d never have become a player or even a coach,” he declared. “If you know where I have come from as a person to arrive at this job you won’t even ask about resignation.”
Addo’s belief in his abilities paid off as he successfully guided Ghana through African qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 26 with ease.
Ghana’s World Cup 26 fixtures and group
Ghana will discover their group-stage opponents when the Final Draw for the FIFA World Cup 26 takes place at the prestigious John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC from 12:00 local time (16:00 in Accra) on Friday, 5 December.
How Ghana qualified for the World Cup 26
Ghana had a dominant run in African qualifying, winning eight and losing just one of their ten matches to top Group I. They were pushed all the way by Madagascar, but punched their ticket to the global showpiece on the final day of qualifying after Mohammed Kudus struck for the winner against Comoros. A key reason for their success has been the goalscoring form of Jordan Ayew, who netted seven goals in the preliminaries.
Ghana’s World Cup history
Confederation: CAF
Best World Cup: Quarter-finals (2010)
Last World Cup: Qatar 2022 (Group stage)
First World Cup: Germany 2006 (Round of 16)
World Cup appearances: 5 (2006, 2010, 2014, 2022, 2026)
Current run of successive qualifications: Two
Overall World Cup record: P15 W5 D3 L7 F18 A23
Ghana’s best World Cup
In South Africa, Ghana were placed in Group D where they secured a 1-0 victory over Serbia followed by a 1-1 draw with Australia to reach the Round of 16, with Asamoah Gyan finding the target on both occasions. A 1-0 defeat to Germany left the Black Stars on the same points as Australia but they progressed on goal difference.
In the knockout stages, they carried the hopes of a continent on their shoulders with Algeria, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria and host nation South Africa all failing to make it past the group stage. Ghana needed extra time to defeat USA in the Round of 16, which came courtesy of two cracking goals from Kevin-Prince Boateng and Gyan.
Ghana were on the cusp of becoming the first African team to reach a World Cup semi-final but were undone by Uruguay in controversial circumstances. With the scores tied at 1-1, Luis Suarez deliberately handled the ball on the line at the end of extra time to deny what appeared a certain goal for Ghana. Gyan then hit the crossbar on the subsequent — and much-delayed —penalty. Their heartbreak was compounded when Uruguay went through in a shootout.
Ghana’s last World Cup
The Black Stars opened their Qatar 2022 campaign on a deflating note after suffering a 3-2 defeat to Portugal, with Cristiano Ronaldo becoming the first man to score at five FIFA World Cups. Ghana bounced back immediately by defeating Korea Republic by the same scoreline.
Goals from Mohammed Salisu and Kudus gave the Africans a 2-0 lead, and while Korea levelled through Cho Guesung’s dizzying double in a 168-second spell, a brilliant second from Kudus set up the eagerly-awaited reunion with Uruguay in the final group game.
There, Giorgian de Arrascaeta scored twice to give Uruguay victory and leave Ghana bottom of Group H.
Ghana’s first World Cup
Under the guidance of Serb Ratomir Dujkovic, Ghana qualified for their inaugural finals at Germany 2006 but they arrived in bad form after going out in the first round of the African Cup of Nations. The youngest team at the tournament, with an average age of 23 years and 352 days, Ghana had a baptism of fire in their opening match where they suffered a 2-0 defeat to eventual champions Italy. But the Africans proved they were not there to make up the numbers as they defeated Czechia 2-0 and then the USA 2-1 to reach the Round of 16. Facing an imposing Brazil team that included the likes of Ronaldo Nazario, Ronaldinho, Kaka and Cafu, the Ghanaians bowed out with a 3-0 loss but with their heads held high.
Ghana’s World Cup top scorer
Gyan not only holds the record of Ghana’s top World Cup scorer with six goals, he is also the top African marksman at the global finals — one ahead of Cameroon icon Roger Milla. With his 68-second opener in the 2-0 victory over Czechia in 2006, Gyan netted Ghana’s first-ever World Cup goal. He then followed that up with strikers against Serbia and Australia at the South Africa 2010 group stage before sealing the last-16 victory against USA in extra time. As captain, Gyan scored two more at his third World Cup finals in Brazil four years later, finding the target against Germany and Portugal.
Ghana players with most World Cup appearances
As well as being the top-scorer for Ghana at the World Cup, Gyan has also played in most games for the Black Stars. The forward played in 11 matches over three tournaments, with three appearances at both 2006 and 2014 coupled with five in 2010. The next player on the list with ten is 35-year-old Andre Ayew, who has not received a national call-up since 2024 but is still actively playing.
Ghana’s memorable World Cup moment
The quarter-final defeat to Uruguay in South Africa has gone down in history as one of the most dramatic and controversial games ever played in the World Cup. As the game entered the 120th minute, with the scores tied at 1-1, Ghana sensed their opportunity to reach the final four. Following a free-kick on the right, Dominic Adiyiah launched a header towards the net and Suarez instinctively leaped up and pushed the ball out with two hands on the goalline. The 23-year-old Ajax forward was sent off for the action and, after Gyan missed the subsequent penalty, Uruguay progressed 4-2 in a shootout.
Ghana’s biggest World Cup win
Of their five victories at the World Cup, Ghana have won just one by a two-goal margin — their dominant 2-0 triumph over Czechia, then the second-ranked team in the world, at the Germany 2006 group stage. They raced into the lead inside just 68 seconds in Cologne after a corner fell into the path of Gyan who struck superbly past Petr Cech from the edge of the box. Midway through the second half, Tomas Ujfalusi was sent off for bringing down Matthew Amoah in the area. The Czechs were given a reprieve when the referee forced Gyan to retake a successfully-made penalty and his second effort hit the post. But Ghana continued to attack and Sulley Muntari ensured the victory with a fine effort eight minutes from time.
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