Ghanaian attacking midfielder and Tottenham Hotspur star Mohammed Kudus is confident the current Black Stars can outdo what their predecessors did in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

In 2010, Ghana’s legendary Black Stars squad reached the quarterfinals of the World Cup in South Africa, coming close to becoming the first African team to qualify for the semi-finals.

However, the dream was cut short after the team’s top scorer, Asamoah Gyan, missed a crucial penalty that would have sealed the historic achievement.

Since then, Ghana has barely made it anywhere close to such a stage. In the last World Cup, which was hosted in Qatar, Ghana exited at the group stage.

However, Kudus is confident that the current squad, including himself, are capable of restoring the country's dying glory in the sport. During an interview with Sports Illustrated, which was aired on Thursday, October 2, he said,

“2010, we went all the way to the quarterfinals. And I believe this squad can even do more than that. But first we have to qualify, and then we can focus on the tournament itself.”

For the 25-year-old, representing Ghana goes beyond sport, carrying deep personal pride.

“I think you represent your country like a one-time thing. That’s the one with the biggest emotion and feeling for me. It means a lot wearing that jersey with a lot of pride,” he added.

The four-time African champions need just four points from the two fixtures to secure their ticket to next year’s tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

After failing to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the Tottenham Hotspur star Mohammed Kudus said,

“We have to qualify at all costs. I think we are on the right path now. Obviously, AFCON is also one of the major tournaments that the country loves and wants to participate in. Not qualifying was a big disappointment, but I think the full focus now is on the World Cup qualifiers”.

The Black Stars are set to pitch their camp in Morocco for their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against the Central African Republic (CAR), slated for October 8.

Black Stars, who were originally scheduled to assemble and camp in Accra, will now head straight to Morocco. The change in plans, according to the Communications Director of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Henry Asante Twum, during an appearance on Woezor TV, is to allow the players more recovery time and to avoid logistical challenges.

“Various discussions have been held, and I can confirm that there is a proposal that the players will report to Morocco instead of Accra because we don’t have enough time to prepare for the game,” he said.

He explained that since most of the players will be in action for their clubs over the weekend, they are expected to report to camp on Sunday, with the last group arriving on Monday.

“These players will play for their respective clubs this weekend, so we are expecting that the players will report to camp on Sunday and then the last badge of players are expected on Monday since the game is on a Wednesday so if they reports to Accra, they will have to be flown to Morocco either on Monday or Tuesday which will be a lot of work because the players will not have enough time and space to rest in between the period and some of the players will be coming from a far disctance so the last meeting we had, we proposed that we will meet in Morocco instead of meeting in Accra before flying to Morocco and that what is being firmed up,” he added.

Also, Ghana’s head coach, Otto Addo, has finalised his squad for the double-header. He released the squad list yesterday, October 2, with the official list. Following the clash with CAR, the Black Stars will return to Accra to host Comoros at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday, October 12, in their final qualifier.

Full Squad Overview

Goalkeepers: Lawrence Ati Zigi (St. Gallen), Benjamin Asare (Hearts of Oak), Joseph Anang (St. Patrick’s Athletic)

Defenders: Alexander Djiku (Spartak Moscow), Mohammed Salisu (AS Monaco), Gideon Mensah (Auxerre), Alidu Seidu (Clermont Foot), Caleb Yirenkyi (FC Nordsjælland), Kojo Peprah Oppong (OGC Nice)

Midfielders: Thomas Partey (Villarreal CF), Mohammed Kudus (Tottenham Hotspur), Elisha Owusu (Auxerre), Kwasi Sibo (Real Oviedo), Prince Owusu (Medeama SC)

Forwards: Inaki Williams (Athletic Club), Antoine Semenyo (AFC Bournemouth), Joseph Paintsil (LA Galaxy), Kamaldeen Sulemana (Atalanta), Abdul Fatawu Issahaku (Leicester City), Jordan Ayew (Leicester City), Christopher Bonsu Baah (Al-Qadsiah)

Ghana currently lead Group I with 19 points and require a victory to confirm their fifth World Cup appearance.

The Ghana Black Stars have moved a rank higher in the latest FIFA ranking. This comes after their recent performances in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

The team have climbed from 76th to 75th. The Black Stars, after two matches with Chad and Mali, respectively, still sit atop Group 1 with 19 points, despite drawing with Chad on September 4 at the Stade Olympique Maréchal Idriss Déby Itno in N'Djamena.

However, they had a win in their clash with Mali. Black Stars led by a goal, securing for themselves three (3) extra points and a point from Chad’s draw.

Despite the global improvement, their standing in Africa remains unchanged, with the four-time African champions still ranked 14th on the continent.

In July, Ghana’s Black Stars fell about six places in FIFA’s rankings at the time.

This was after their loss to Angola and a 1-1 draw with Niger during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers in September during the international break.

In the ranking released on July 10, Ghana ranked 76th in the FIFA World Rankings. This leaves the former African giant out of the top 10 national teams as they continue the push to rejoin the continent’s elite.

According to the July ranking, Argentina still held its spot as number one, followed by Spain, France, and then England, with Brazil taking the fifth spot.

In Africa, Morocco sat on top with its 12th position on the global level with 1,698.72 points. Senegal also moved a spot up from its 19th position last year.

Egypt dropped to 34 on the global scale but remained 3rd in Africa despite its slight dip from the 32nd position, which was caused by a quiet international window with no matches played since March.