President John Dramani Mahama hopes the Black Stars will aim higher beyond their qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He has urged the team to emulate Morocco and, in broader terms, envision doing more.

This comes after Ghana sealed their place at the 2026 World Cup with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Comoros in their final Group I qualifier at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday, October 12, marking the country’s fifth appearance at football’s biggest tournament.

However, Black Stars head coach Otto Addo has hinted that, based on the team’s current ranking by the global football governing body, FIFA, Ghana is likely to face strong opponents at next year’s tournament.

Speaking to Citi Sports ahead of the tournament draw on December 5, Addo stated that “I know that at the moment Ghana is not ranked high, so probably we will get a tough group, so we have to expect that we get tougher opponents in our group and we have to deal with it,” the 49-year-old added.

However, Addo remained optimistic, citing his excitement about the team’s prospects and commitment to conquering the group stage.

“We will see what we will get, and I’m excited about that. For me, the most important thing is to overcome the group stage,” he added.

With this qualification, Addo has become the first coach in Ghanaian football history to lead the Black Stars to consecutive World Cup appearances, having guided the team to the 2022 edition in Qatar.

In a separate interview, Otto Addo has responded to growing concerns regarding his player selection for the global football tournament, the FIFA 2026 World Cup.

Speaking during an interview with 3Sports, which was aired on Tuesday, October 15, Otto Addo explicitly stated that players who have ignored their calls despite continuous efforts from the national team’s technical staff since 2021 should not expect any call-up now that the Black Stars have secured their ticket to the World Cup.

“We will look at each case one by one. There are players I have been chasing since 2021, who didn’t reply to our calls or want to come. It’s a different thing if we haven’t approached you and now you want to come. But if we have been approaching you all the way and you said no, and now we are at the World Cup, so you want to come, that’s a different matter,” Addo said.

His remarks follow reports that Callum Hudson-Odoi and Eddie Nketiah are considering switching allegiance to play for Ghana at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

On his part, unity and commitment from and among the players have played a significant role in the team's performance, hence the need to check a player’s commitment before giving them an opportunity.

“I think Ghana should always have a certain pride. As a country, we need to check the commitment of each player. We have very good unity, and we don’t want to destroy it by bringing in players who don’t commit,” he added.

About Callum Hudson-Odoi and Eddie Nketiah

Callum Hudson-Odoi and Eddie Nketiah are both English-born footballers of Ghanaian descent. Hudson-Odoi plays for Nottingham Forest, while Nketiah plays for Crystal Palace.

News about their joining Black Star surfaced around 2021-2023; however, it died out after reports of the players' request for more time to ponder over the offer and make a decision.

However, this month, it was reported that, following Ghana's heavy win against the Central African Republic, these players have expressed their readiness to join the team in Ghana.

Nketiah, during an appearance on The Beautiful Game podcast openly declared, “If Ghana invites me, then I’ll be there.”

Oddoi, on the other hand, in June 2021, ahead of the 2022 World Cup, was allegedly contacted by the Ghana FA officials about switching allegiance. Soon after, he visited Ghana that summer, and he met with President Akufo-Addo and Sports Minister Mustapha Ussif, who urged him to consider playing for the Black Stars, but Hudson-Odoi did not commit.

Subsequently, in November 2021, Oddoi, during a BBC Interview “I think obviously when you’re young and you’ve played for England, that’s something that you’re always proud of… but I feel like Ghana is my home as well.”

He added that he was “open to anything” and would make a decision when the time was right.

Also, Hudson-Odoi did not respond to Ghana’s invitations for AFCON 2023 qualifiers. But Ghana FA President Kurt Okraku confirmed in early 2023 that Hudson-Odoi had been contacted but had not completed the FIFA nationality switch.

While they look forward to finding out who their group-stage opponents will be when the official draw is held on December 5, they will embark on an Asian tour to face South Korea and Japan as part of their preparations for the World Cup next year.

This was officially announced by the Ghana Football Association (GFA) on October 9, in a press release following Ghana’s 5–0 victory over the Central African Republic.

The first clash is scheduled for November 14 in Toyota as part of the prestigious Kirin Cup, against Japan, before they travel to Seoul to face South Korea three days later, on November 17.

Both Japan and South Korea have already booked their places at the 2026 World Cup and are expected to field full-strength lineups, providing Ghana with a crucial test ahead of next year’s continental and global competitions.

The Asian tour forms part of the Ghana Football Association’s broader plan to give coach Otto Addo the platform to evaluate his squad and fine-tune tactics before the global showpiece.