Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, Victor Emmanuel Smith, has assured the Ghana Football Association (GFA) of the Embassy’s full backing ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Ambassador Smith gave the assurance when GFA President Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku paid a courtesy call on him in the United States to discuss Ghana’s group placement and logistical preparations for the tournament.
According to the Ambassador, the Mission is ready to work closely with the FA to manage coordination challenges arising from the tournament’s multi-city format, while also helping to advance Ghana’s broader objectives off the pitch.
He expressed optimism about Ghana’s chances at the Mundial, noting that the Black Stars boast experienced players capable of representing the country with pride on the global stage.
Mr. Simeon-Okraku, in his remarks, confirmed that Ghana has been drawn in Group L, alongside England, Croatia and Panama, after being placed in Pot 4 during the draw.
The GFA President explained that Ghana’s fixtures will be spread across Boston, Philadelphia and Toronto, a situation he admitted could present logistical challenges for the team and its supporting delegation.
He stressed the importance of close collaboration with the Ghana Embassy before and during the tournament to ensure smooth operations and to project Ghana positively on the world stage.
The World Cup is a major global platform with worldwide attention, and we expect close cooperation from the Embassy to support our operations and help push the Ghana agenda
As part of activities leading up to the tournament, the GFA President also revealed plans to launch Ghana’s new national team jerseys in Washington, D.C., with the Embassy expected to play a key role in the activation.
Providing further details, Simeon-Okraku disclosed that the new kits will maintain Ghana’s traditional colours, while introducing unique cultural elements.
“This is the current one that we are using, so the new one will still be white and yellow.
The white will come with the (Kweku Ananse) design this has not gone public yet and the yellow will come with a more colorful theme of the Makola market,” he revealed.
He added that the GFA intends to carry out monthly activations in collaboration with the Embassy as part of efforts to deepen engagement with Ghanaians in the diaspora.
“We will be working with you, we will share the plans, we will exchange just to push the Ghana agenda up and make everybody feel their impact
Beyond the World Cup, the GFA also plans to use the period to identify and develop young Ghanaian talents living in the United States.
There are a lot of Ghanaian kids in the US especially in the tri-state area who do not even know how or what it is to play for Ghana.
“We will do some camps and small clinics in places like New Jersey. We will bring scouts, and also involve former players like Asamoah Gyan and Michael Essien, to identify one or two top talents for the youth national teams.”
Both Ambassador Smith and the GFA President concluded the meeting by reaffirming their commitment to work closely together to ensure Ghana’s preparations are successfully delivered ahead of the World Cup.
