Ghana Black Stars' friendlies with Austria are scheduled for today at the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna on Friday, March 27.

The game is set for 17:00 GMT, as part of preparations or warm-up for both teams to fine-tune their tactics as they await the main tournament, the 2026 FIFA World Cup in June.

For Ghana, the match will serve as a test of tactical effectiveness and an opportunity to assess the impact of debutants, as they look to justify their inclusion in the squad. Fans are expecting a contrast in styles, with Austria known for its disciplined, structured approach, particularly in midfield control, while Ghana’s strength lies in pace, flair, and quick counterattacking transitions.

For the Black Stars, the fixture presents an opportunity to test their attacking options against a well-organised European side and to sharpen defensive coordination against a team that thrives on possession and tactical discipline.

Austria, on the other hand, will look to assert dominance in midfield and dictate the tempo of the game, aiming to contain Ghana’s explosive forward play.

Otto Addo names squad for Austria, Germany friendlies

On March 16, Otto Addo released the squad list for the upcoming friendlies against Austria and Germany this month, ramping up preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The matches, set for Vienna on March 27 and Stuttgart on March 30, blend familiar faces from qualifiers with fresh talent to sharpen the team’s edge.

Addo handed debut call-ups to four promising players: defender Patrick Pfeiffer (SV Darmstadt), Derrick Luckassen (Pafos FC), wing-back Marvin Senaya (Auxerre), and forward Daniel Agyei (Kocalispor).

These inclusions signal Addo’s intent to build depth ahead of the global showpiece, injecting competition into key positions.

In goal, Lawrence Ati-Zigi (St. Gallen) leads alongside Benjamin Asare (Accra Hearts of Oak) and Joseph Anang (St. Patrick’s Athletic).

The defense features a robust mix, including Derrick Kohn (Union Berlin), Jerome Opoku (Istanbul Basaksehir), Caleb Yirenkyi (FC Nordsjaelland), Kojo Oppong Pepprah (OGC Nice), Jonas Adjetey (VFL Wolfsburg), Alexander Djiku (Spartak Moscow), and Gideon Mensah (Auxerre).

Midfield anchors Thomas Partey (Villarreal) with Elisha Owusu (Auxerre), Ibrahim Sulemana (Cagliari), and Kwasi Sibo (Real Oviedo), providing steel and creativity.

Up top, the attack bristles with firepower: Brandon Thomas Asante (Coventry City), Jordan Ayew (Leicester City), Prince Adu (Viktoria Plzen), Christopher Bonsu Baah (Al Qadsiah), Abdul Fatawu Issahaku (Leicester City), Inaki Williams (Athletic Bilbao), Antoine Semenyo (Manchester City), and Kamal Deen Sulemana (Atalanta).

How Black Stars qualified for the World Cup despite inconsistencies

Many Ghanaians gave up on the Black Stars due to their continuous dip in form and disappointing displays.

The teams' decline in form became noticeable after the mid‑2010s, particularly following their runner‑up finish at AFCON 2015. Following this, the team kept losing its grip on its fans with the major blow being their failure to qualify for AFCON 2025, marking the lowest point in decades.

However, their qualification for the 2026 World Cup awakened fans' hopes, and the Minister for Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, has indicated that his outfit adopted a strategy to make this happen. Under his term, the Black Stars out of the six matches played secured a win in five and one draw.

Speaking on the revival strategy, during an interview with Graphic Sports, he noted that the first strategy was to let the players know they were not going to be paid any bonuses, but to reward the broader objective of qualification.

“We started first by letting them know that we’re not going to pay them winning bonuses as it used to be… we want them to manage the team to make sure that we qualify,” he stated.

He acknowledged the waning confidence in the Black Stars before they qualified for the 2026 World Cup.

“There were a lot of people who gave up on Black Stars,” he said. “But through a certain strategic pull-up, we have been able to play six matches, won five and drawn one, and that made it possible for us to qualify, ” he added.

He attributed the turnaround to a coordinated effort involving key stakeholders, including backing from the Presidency and renewed fan support, with supporters turning up in large numbers at the Accra Sports Stadium.

Assistant coach on Black Stars’ squad

The Black Stars’ assistant coach, John Paintsil, is confident Ghana has the ‘men’ to advance to the final stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup slated for June.

The last time the Black Stars went close to getting to the semi-finals was in 2010 when they reached the semi‑finals of a FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

16 years down the line, the team’s assistant coach is optimistic that the squad to represent Ghana this year is more experienced now.

Reflecting on past setbacks, including group-stage exits in Brazil 2014 and Qatar 2022, Paintsil believes the squad is now better prepared to compete in the latter stages of the competition.

“We have enough experience to be in the semi-finals or final of the 2026 World Cup,” he noted during an interview with 3Sports.

Meanwhile, Ghana will open its campaign against Panama on June 17, 2026, face England on June 23, and conclude the group stage with a match against Croatia on June 27.