Minister for Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, sparked speculations about Andre Dede Ayew's possible return to the Black Stars early this month after he indicated that he wouldn't be surprised to see Andre Ayew included in Ghana's squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

"Dede Ayew, too, is picking up, and as long as he has not retired, I won't be surprised if he makes it into the [2026 World Cup] squad," Adams said on Adom FM on March 3.

While some fans were excited about the news, others suggested he remained sidelined to allow the new generation of players an opportunity.

H maintains that Ayew's return is possible; however, the final decision rests with the team’s head coach, Otto Addo.

“Fortunately, I’m the minister. Unfortunately, I’m not the coach. The coach has the final say on this. If they include him, why not? I won’t be surprised”, he said.

Meanwhile, the former Black Stars captain Andre Dede Ayew hasn’t represented Ghana since he last played for the Black Stars at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Côte d’Ivoire.

Speaking during an interview on Adom TV’s Fire for Fire, the brother of former team captain and current Black Stars captain Jordan Ayew said the current squad has what it takes to compete without major additions.

He insists that the current squad that secured the country a spot in the global football tournament should be maintained, as they are more than enough.

“I think the players who played during the qualifiers have done extremely well. I don’t think we need any additions. I believe we have a good team and, as time goes on, we are improving,” he told Adom TV’s Fire for Fire in an exclusive interview.

He added that the squad’s cohesion continues to improve despite limited training time together. “We haven’t had much time to train together, but the unity is getting better, and everything is improving,” Ayew added.

The Leicester City forward also suggested that introducing significant changes at this stage may not be ideal, though he acknowledged that the final call lies with the technical team.

“I don’t think this is the right time to make changes. But to be honest, on the technical side, the coach will know whom to add or select,” he said.

“Whoever is added must be ready to give their all and put on a show,” Ayew added.

The 36-year-old was notably absent from Ghana’s squad for upcoming international friendlies against Austria and Germany later this month.

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).