Ghana Black Stars World Cup 2026 Full Squad List

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by Nigerian Matchday Editorial

2 weeks ago 57

_Ghana Black Stars World Cup 2026_ Full Squad List

Final 26‑man squad

Head coach Carlos Queiroz confirmed his final 26 on 1 June 2026, with Kudus and Salisu missing out injured.[^4][^5]

Goalkeepers[^6][^4]

Lawrence Ati‑Zigi (St. Gallen)
Benjamin Asare (Hearts of Oak)
Joseph Anang (St Patrick’s Athletic)

Defenders[^7][^4]

Baba Abdul Rahman (PAOK)
Gideon Mensah (Auxerre)
Marvin Senaya (Auxerre)
Alidu Seidu (Rennes)
Abdul Mumin (Rayo Vallecano)
Jerome Opoku (Istanbul Basaksehir)
Jonas Adjetey (Wolfsburg)
Kojo Oppong Peprah (Nice)
Derrick Luckassen (Pafos)

Midfielders[^4][^7]

Thomas Partey (Villarreal)
Elisha Owusu (Auxerre)
Kwasi Sibo (Real Oviedo)
Augustine Boakye (Saint‑Étienne)
Caleb Yirenkyi (Nordsjaelland)
Abdul Fatawu Issahaku (Leicester City)

Forwards / wingers[^6][^7][^4]

Jordan Ayew (Leicester City)
Antoine Semenyo (Manchester City)
Iñaki Williams (Athletic Club)
Kamaldeen Sulemana (Atalanta)
Ernest Nuamah (Lyon)
Christopher Bonsu Baah (Al Qadsiah)
Prince Kwabena Adu (Viktoria Plzeň)
Brandon Thomas‑Asante (Coventry City)

Group L fixtures (dates, venues, kickoffs)

Group L runs 17–27 June and Ghana’s matches are fixed as below.[^8][^9][^1][^4]

Times: I’m giving ET (broadcast standard) and approximate Spain time (CEST, +6h in June).

England–Croatia and Panama–England make up the other Group L fixtures over the same window.[^10][^3][^1]

Manager and tactical approach

Ghana sacked Otto Addo in March 2026 after a run of poor friendlies and appointed Carlos Queiroz specifically to lead the World Cup campaign.[^11][^12][^2][^13]

Profile: Queiroz is a tournament specialist (Portugal, Iran, Egypt) with a reputation for deep organisation, defensive discipline and pragmatic game‑plans against stronger sides.[^14][^15]
Base shape: His past World Cup teams have mainly used compact 4‑1‑4‑1 or 4‑2‑3‑1 systems, sitting in a mid/low block then breaking quickly through wide players and a hard‑running centre‑forward.[^16][^17][^15][^14]
What to expect with Ghana: Given England and Croatia in the group, expect a cautious, vertically compact block versus those two (full‑backs relatively conservative, double pivot screening, lots of counters through Kamaldeen, Fatawu, Nuamah and Williams).[^9][^15][^14]
Against Panama, he’s more likely to push the line higher, use the ball more and lean on set pieces plus crosses into Semenyo/Williams to bank three points.[^3][^9]

Key players to watch

With Mohammed Kudus ruled out injured before the squad was unveiled, the hierarchy of threats shifts slightly.[^5][^8][^9]

Thomas Partey – 6/8: The main reference in build‑up and defensive transitions; his screening and long passing are vital if Ghana sit deep and break.[^8][^9]
Iñaki Williams – forward: High‑volume runner in behind, focal point for counters and wide‑channel presses; comes in off strong seasons with Athletic and experience from 2022.[^3][^8]
Antoine Semenyo – forward: Expected to lead the line or play as a second striker; physical, good at attacking crosses and running channels, highlighted in tactical previews as central to Ghana’s gameplan.[^18][^19][^9]
Kamaldeen Sulemana / Ernest Nuamah / Abdul Fatawu Issahaku – wingers: Direct ball‑carriers who give Ghana the verticality Queiroz teams need on the break; all can beat a man 1v1 and generate shots or cut‑backs.[^9][^3][^4]
Jordan Ayew – experienced forward: Captain and penalty option, brings foul‑winning, work rate and big‑tournament experience off the bench or from the right.[^5][^8]
Back line core: Alidu Seidu (aggressive right‑back/CB), Baba Rahman and Gideon Mensah at left‑back, plus Mumin/Opoku/Luckassen at centre‑back, are key to keeping scorelines tight in Queiroz’s scheme.[^14][^9][^4]

World Cup history and best result

Ghana are appearing at their fifth men’s World Cup: 2006, 2010, 2014, 2022 and now 2026.[^1][^8]
Best result: Quarter‑finals in 2010 (Asamoah Gyan’s side were a missed penalty from the semis), which remains the joint‑best performance by an African nation at a men’s World Cup.[^1][^8]
They reached the last 16 on debut in 2006, went out in the groups in 2014 and 2022, and qualified for 2026 by topping CAF Group I.[^20][^8][^9]

Odds and chances to qualify from Group L

Market view, as of early June 2026:

Outright winner: Ghana are broadly in the long‑shot bucket at around 300–500/1 to win the World Cup, behind African peers like Senegal and Morocco.[^26][^27]
Group L winner: A detailed odds piece has England around 2/5, Croatia ~4/1, Ghana roughly 11/1 and Panama ~66/1 to win the group.[^3]
That places Ghana clearly third in both group‑winner and “to advance” markets, ahead of Panama but behind the two European sides.[^28][^3]

On “to qualify from the group” specifically:

Books generally price England and Croatia odds‑on to qualify, with Ghana as a slight underdog but competitive third choice, and Panama as clear outsiders.[^28][^3]
Exact “to qualify” prices vary by operator and move quickly; some markets also include “to qualify via third place” because the best eight third‑placed teams across the 12 groups reach the Round of 32 in 2026.[^1][^3]

Qualification path in practical terms:

Beat Panama in the opener and avoid heavy defeats vs England/Croatia → Ghana are very live for second or a strong third‑place ranking (four points or even three with good GD can be enough under the expanded format).[^3][^1]
Fail to beat Panama → they likely need something from Croatia (and to protect goal difference vs England), which is why the market keeps them behind Croatia but ahead of Panama in qualification probabilities.[^28][^3]

If you want, I can next sketch likely XIs and role maps for each group game (Panama/England/Croatia) plus some matchup‑specific betting angles (both team and player props) tailored to your markets.

⁂

[^1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_FIFA_World_Cup_Group_L

[^2]: https://www.ghanafa.org/carlos-queiroz-appointed-black-stars-head-coach-for-2026-fifa-world-cup

[^3]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1ZAbvUgsqU

[^4]: https://www.flashscore.com/news/soccer-world-championship-queiroz-names-final-26-man-ghana-world-cup-squad-with-reverson-and-agbasi-axed/E3OwAQrm/

[^5]: https://mobile.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/SportsArchive/WATCH-How-Ghana-unveiled-its-squad-for-the-2026-FIFA-World-Cup-2037318

[^6]: https://www.espn.com/soccer/team/squad?id=4469\&league=FIFA.WORLD

[^7]: https://www.facebook.com/ZealPlusX/posts/2026-world-cup-update-ghana-unveil-final-world-cup-squad-amid-injury-setbacksby-/1313152847666860/

[^8]: https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/ghana-world-cup-2026-preview-best-players-roster-history-jersey-predictions

[^9]: https://www.squawka.com/en/news/world-cup/ghana-world-cup-2026-fixtures-players-analysis/

[^10]: https://www.skysports.com/football/news/12098/13543108/world-cup-2026-group-l-guide-fixtures-schedule-standings-and-odds-for-england-croatia-ghana-and-panama

[^11]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cwyw6z2vw33o