Ghana has secured its ticket to football’s biggest tournament, the FIFA 2026 World Cup, happening from June 11 to July 19, which will be staged across Mexico, Canada and the United States.

The 2026 tournament will mark Ghana’s fifth appearance at football’s biggest stage, following previous participations in 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2022. The Black Stars’ most memorable World Cup performance came in 2010, when they reached the quarter-finals in South Africa.

As part of preparations for the tournament, Ghana will play a friendly with Mexico on May 22 at an unconfirmed venue in Mexico. This fixture will help Ghana’s technical team assess the prospective players who are likely to represent the country at the global tournament.

The Mexico friendly adds to Ghana’s list of teams they are expected to meet before the main games at the World Cup. The two other teams are Germany and Austria, with matches scheduled for March.

Ghana’s head coach, Otto Addo, is expected to release the final squad list for the 2026 World Cup in June next year.

This was confirmed by the Communications Director of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Henry Asante Twum, in an interview with Accra-based radio station Asempa FM on December 15. He stated that ahead of the official squad announcement, a provisional list is expected to be released by all qualified nations on May 11, with the final squad to be released on June 1.

“All qualified teams, including the Black Stars of Ghana, are mandated by FIFA to announce their provisional squad on April 11, 2026. The final squads for the tournament must be announced before midnight on June 1, 2026,” he said.

He added that Ghanaian players performing well domestically or abroad will all be considered for selection.

“Every Ghanaian player with a strong performance is closely monitored by the technical team, and regardless of where they play, they will be given a call-up,” Asante Twum noted.

At the World Cup itself, Mexico will open the tournament against South Africa on June 11 before facing one of South Korea, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the Republic of Ireland or North Macedonia in the remaining Group A fixtures.

Drawn in Group L alongside Panama, England, and Croatia, Ghana will be looking to improve on previous campaigns at the global tournament, which will be co-hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

The Black Stars will open their World Cup campaign against Panama on June 17 in Toronto, before facing England in Boston on June 23. Their final group match against Croatia is scheduled for June 27 in Philadelphia.

Meanwhile, reviewing and rationalising the Black Stars’ budget has saved the country about $700,000, the Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams has said.

According to him, the savings come after a directive from President Mahama that the budget for the national team be made public ahead of the resumption of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

In compliance, the Buem Constituency Member of Parliament (MP) made it public after the Black Stars’ recent doubleheader against Chad.

The decision by the Buem Member of Parliament drew criticism from sections of the football fraternity, who questioned the disclosure of the team’s financial details.

However, speaking to the media after Vice President Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang paid a working visit to the Ministry of Sports and Recreation, Mr Adams defended the policy, describing it as prudent and beneficial.

“We worked closely with the FA to rationalise the budgeting and disbursement processes, and this has saved close to $700,000 across two Black Stars matches,” he said.

Mr Adams stressed that the cost-cutting measures did not negatively affect the team, noting that players and the technical staff received all their entitlements.

“These measures have gone a long way to build confidence. The players did not suffer, and the technical team did not suffer. They continued to receive what was due them, even with the savings,” he added.

The Vice President’s visit saw the presence of Ghana Football Association (GFA) President Kurt Okraku, Deputy Directors of the National Sports Authority, Veronica Commey and Gideon Hammond, as well as Sports Ministry Chief Director Wilhelmina Asamoah.

In addition, the White House on Tuesday, January 21, announced that World Cup ticket holders can now access the priority visa appointments to travel to the United States.

This forms part of the US government’s efforts to help ticket holders secure priority visa appointment dates, as citizens of some qualified countries may otherwise be unable to obtain visas in time for the 2026 World Cup.

The FIFA Prioritised Appointment Scheduling System (FIFA PASS) is a special visa‑interview scheduling program created by the U.S. government and FIFA for the 2026 World Cup. It gives ticket holders priority access to U.S. visa appointments, ensuring fans can travel to matches in North America despite existing visa backlogs.

Speaking during a joint press briefing with FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the White House in Washington, D.C., on 17 November,last year President Donald Trump mentioned that “I’ve directed my administration to do everything within their power to make the 2026 World Cup an unprecedented success.”

The WhiteHouse however, warned that, a ticket isn’t a visa. Detailing how the ‘World’ will gain access into the US, the Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted that, ticket-holders for the tournament, set for next June and July in the US, Canada and Mexico, will not be automatically granted a tourist visa.

But foreign nationals with tickets to World Cup football matches could get an interview at an embassy or consulate within six to eight weeks of applying, Rubio said.

“Your ticket is not a visa; it doesn’t guarantee admission to the US. We’re going to do the same vetting as anybody else would get. The only difference here is we’re moving them up in the queue,” the Secretary noted the first time the FIFA pass was announced in last year.