Coach Otto Addo has named a 26-man squad for Ghana’s upcoming international friendly against Austria, with forward Jordan Ayew among the players selected for the match.
While André Ayew has not played for the Black Stars since March 2024, calls for his recall are growing louder.
Since joining Dutch side NAC Breda in January 2026, Ayew has regained match fitness and recently scored a key goal against Feyenoord.
Supporters and some government officials, including the Sports Minister Kofi Adams , emphasize his leadership and experience as essential for guiding a young and relatively inexperienced squad.
The Black Stars will face Austria in Vienna on 27 March before travelling to Stuttgart to play Germany on 30 March 2026. The two fixtures form part of Ghana’s preparations ahead of the next FIFA World Cup.
Addo’s squad includes four players who have received their first call-ups to the national team. Defender Derrick Luckassen, centre-back Patrick Pfeiffer, right-back Marvin Senaya and forward Daniel Agyei are all included for the first time.
Luckassen currently plays for Cypriot club Pafos FC and developed through the academy at AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands. During his career he has also represented PSV Eindhoven, Hertha BSC, RSC Anderlecht, Kasımpaşa, Fatih Karagümrük and Maccabi Tel Aviv. He recently helped Pafos win the 2024–25 Cypriot league title and also scored the club’s first goal in the Champions League.
Senaya, who plays for French side AJ Auxerre, made his professional debut in 2021. The defender previously spent time with RC Strasbourg, FC Sochaux and FC Lausanne-Sport.
Agyei, a forward who can also operate on the wing, represents Turkish club Kocaelispor. Born in England, he previously played in the English league system for Leyton Orient, Crewe Alexandra, Oxford United and Burnley FC before moving to Turkey.
Pfeiffer, another defender selected for the first time, plays for German club SV Darmstadt 98 in the Bundesliga II.
The squad also sees the return of several established players including forward Iñaki Williams, midfielder Thomas Partey, midfielder Ibrahim Sulemana and defender Alexander Djiku.
Addo has selected three goalkeepers for the matches: Lawrence Ati-Zigi of FC St. Gallen, Benjamin Asare of Accra Hearts of Oak and Joseph Anang of St Patrick’s Athletic FC.
The defensive line includes Pfeiffer, Luckassen, Derrick Köhn of Union Berlin, Jerome Opoku of Istanbul Başakşehir, Caleb Yirenkyi of FC Nordsjælland, Kojo Oppong Pepprah of OGC Nice, Jonas Adjetey of VfL Wolfsburg, Senaya, Djiku and Gideon Mensah of Auxerre.
In midfield, Addo has called up Partey, Elisha Owusu of Auxerre, Sulemana of Cagliari Calcio and Kwasi Sibo of Real Oviedo.
The attacking options include Brandon Thomas-Asante of Coventry City FC, Ayew of Leicester City FC, Prince Adu of FC Viktoria Plzeň, Christopher Bonsu Baah of Al-Qadsiah FC, Abdul Fatawu Issahaku of Leicester City, Williams of Athletic Bilbao, Antoine Semenyo of Manchester City FC, Kamal Deen Sulemana of Atalanta BC and Agyei.
The two matches in Europe are expected to provide Ghana with valuable preparation as the team builds towards the upcoming World Cup.
