The 73-year-old, newly appointed head coach of Ghana’s national team, the Black Stars, addressed the media yesterday, Thursday, April 24, during his unveiling at Alisa Hotel in Accra at around 1 pm.His appointment comes after the dismissal of Otto Addo on Monday, March 30, following Ghana’s poor performance in the international friendlies against Austria and Germany.

With barely 50 days to the World Cup, he has been handed a four-month contract to lead the Black Stars and his first assignment, as a stop-gap appointment following his arrival in Ghana, will be to oversee the upcoming international friendly against Mexico. Preparations will then continue with a final test against Wales on June 2 for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

See below some key notes he outlined while addressing the media,

I am ready for the job as Black Stars head coach

This will be the most challenging job in my career

I am a winning coach who is not concerned about the style of play

I want to see my players fight as a team without the ball and adapt with the ball

My challenge is to win the next game and win the next game

We have to bring in the right players and make the right decisions

I cannot make promises, but I can assure you that we will be ready against Panama

We will create fair opportunities for local players

I will select players who are capable, experienced and fit

Five new backroom staff will join the technical team, while John Pailtsil, Fatawu Dauda and Desmond Ofei will keep their respective roles.

Ghana, preparing for their fifth appearance at the World Cup, have been drawn in Group L. The Black Stars will open their campaign against Panama on June 17, before facing England on June 23 and Croatia on June 27.

After successive group-stage exits in Brazil 2014 and Qatar 2022, Queiroz faces the challenge of restoring belief and guiding the team to a more competitive show on football’s biggest stage.

Queiroz has been tasked with steering Ghana beyond the group stage, following group-stage exits in 2014 and 2022, as expectations rise for a stronger showing on football’s biggest stage.