Asamoah Gyan, Ghanaian football legend has conveyed his hopes on Black Stars’ chances of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The former team captain claims that because Ghanaians are accustomed to watching the Black Stars compete at the World Cup, qualifying is necessary.
Gyan stated that he anticipates Ghana to qualify after the draw that placed them in Group I with Mali.
‘Since 2006 when we first qualified, we’ve been consistent except in 2018. It looks like we’re getting used to the World Cup. Expectations are high back home but the hope is that we’ll qualify,” he said.
In Group I, Ghana will compete against the Eagles of Mali along with Madagascar, Comoros, Chad, and Central African Republic.
Along with Burkina Faso, South Africa, Cape Verde, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Zambia, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea, Ghana was assigned to Pot B.
The top nine teams from each group will advance to the 2026 World Cup automatically.
The qualifiers are slated to occur between November 2023 and November 2025 over a two-year period.
In a related news, FIFA will give Accra Hearts of Oak of the Ghana Premier League $219,000 in total.
The sum represents Daniel Afriyie Barnieh’s bonus for competing in the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
As a result of Afriyie Barnieh’s success with Hearts in the Ghanaian top division and other competitions, Otto Addo, the then-Black Stars coach, included him among the 26 players named for the world’s most prestigious football showpiece.
Overall, the program benefited five clubs in Ghana, with the two powerhouses Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko receiving the highest sums ($219,008.70 and $200,757.97, respectively), thanks to the participation of Afriyie Barnieh and Ibrahim Danlad.
The FIFA Club Benefits Programme was created as a way to thank football clubs for their support during World Cup tournaments.
The Ghana Football Association will receive the funds and then distribute them to the suitable beneficiary clubs.
After the World Cup, the former captain of Ghana’s U20 and U23 teams joined FC Zurich in the Swiss Superlig.
