The Ghana Black Stars are in Austria for the 2026 World Cup preparatory match against the latter’s national team.

However, ahead of the game, Ghana’s national football team has been targeted in a robbery incident in Vienna ahead of their international friendly against Austria on Friday, March 27.

Earlier reports suggested that some team members were robbed during their stay. Two rolex watches and $2,250 cash owned by some management committee members and the players, had been taken from their rooms.

“The report that came in indicates that two valuables have been stolen. A $2,250 cash and two Rolex watches. The report indicated that cash belongs to management committee members, and the watches are for the players,” he said.

He added that the CCTV cameras at the hotel, where the Black Stars are lodging, were not functioning, making it difficult for the Austrian police to quickly identify the alleged robbers.

“Regarding where the police are camping, the hotel indicated that their CCTV cameras are not functioning, which has made it difficult for the FA to furnish the Austrian police with proper evidence.”

Despite the incident, officials say the situation is under control, with players and technical staff remaining calm and focused ahead of the scheduled match.

The GFA said it is working closely with relevant authorities in Austria and will provide further updates as more information becomes available.

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.