By: Zach Lowy
If there’s one thing that Ghana has struggled to do in recent years, it’s keep things tight at the back in major tournaments.
After conceding just six goals in four matches and four goals in five matches in their first two appearances in 2006 and 2010, Ghana’s 2014 World Cup campaign would see them crash out of the group stage with six goals conceded in three.
The Black Stars returned eight years later, where, despite scoring five goals in Qatar, they failed to reach the knockout round after conceding seven goals. Fast-forward one year, and Ghana were grouped once more after conceding six goals throughout their three AFCON matches.
Ghana manager Otto Addo downplayed the side’s need to improve on the defensive front after the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw in Washington D.C. whilst also highlighting Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo as “very important.” Speaking in an interview with R.Org, he revealed: “It’s difficult to pick out certain statistics.
“We can also take statistics from our last games and say, ‘From our last six World Cup qualifiers, we didn’t lose once. You can pick it out and make a story for yourself, but I don’t really like this kind of approach. But surely, it’s going to be a key, and it’s a key in every game.
Once your defense is strong, that’s your base, and we know we have the quality up front to score a goal out of nothing, so surely that will be key for the World Cup.”
Whilst Ghana failed to qualify for the upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, they will nevertheless play in the main event of next year’s sporting calendar: the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America. Ghana will take on Panama in Toronto before facing off against England and Croatia in Foxborough and Philadelphia.
Although Ghana are tasked with a Herculean challenge as they look to advance to the knockouts at the expense of one global behemoth, be that England or Croatia, they nevertheless have the players to cause some serious damage in the upcoming tournament.
Between Alexander Dijku, Jerome Opoku, Jonas Adjei Adjetey and Mohammed Salisu, they have a sturdy bedrock in defense that has seen them concede just once in their last five World Cup qualifiers, whilst they also boast a fearsome attacking core featuring youth and experience, such as Ernest Nuamah, Jordan Ayew, Kamaldeen Sulemana, Iñaki Williams, Abdul Fatawu Issahaku and Joseph Paintsil.
And in Antoine Semenyo and Mohammed Kudus, they have two of the most exciting livewire attacking forwards in the Premier League. Gideon Mensah has proven a reliable presence on the left side of defense, whilst teenage talent Caleb Yirenkyi is competing with veteran Ligue 1 defender Alidu Seidu for the starting right back position.
Despite playing in Ghana’s domestic league instead of Europe, despite being 33 years of age, and despite only making his international debut a few months ago, Benjamin Asare is emerging as a reliable shot-stopper between the sticks, whilst Kwasi Sibo is staking out a place in central midfield after a season that saw him guide Real Oviedo back to LaLiga after a quarter-century.
He is partnered by none other than Thomas Partey, who is becoming the latest central midfielder to enjoy a late-career resurgence at Villarreal after Dani Parejo, Guillermo Amor, and Santi Cazorla, with the 32-year-old proving instrumental in the Yellow Submarine’s impressive start to the campaign.
Whilst they find themselves in the UEFA Champions League’s cellar with one point from five matches, they nevertheless find themselves in third place in LaLiga, one point behind Real Madrid, five behind Barcelona, and four above Atlético Madrid, with a game in hand on all four sides.
All things considered, Ghana are more than capable of making a splash in next summer’s FIFA World Cup. Whether they can get out of their group, however, is another story altogether.
