Daniel Afriyie Barnieh
Daniel Afriyie Barnieh

Hearts of Oak striker, Daniel Afriyie Barnieh, has been named in Ghana’s final 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Afriyie Barnieh has been rewarded a call-up to be part of the senior national team for the Mundial following his exploits in the Ghana Premier League with Hearts of Oak.

The 21-year-old attacker is the only locally-based player who made the final squad for the global showpiece in Qatar from November to December.

Otto Addo, who is the head coach of the side, will announce the final squad on November 14.

Afriyie Barnieh has been one of the influential players in the Ghana Premier League for the past three seasons.

The promising forward has been part of the Black Stars set-up following his impressive seasons with the Phobian Club.

He has been part of the Black Stars squad under Otto Addo since the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Mozambique and the Central African Republic. He made his debut for the West African nation in an international friendly against Japan.

Afriyie Barnieh also made a cameo appearance for Ghana in a 1-0 win over Nicaragua last month.

He has represented Ghana at the U20 and U23 levels and is currently a member of the Black Galaxies team.

The Black Stars will officially open camp on November 10 in Abu Dhabi and will take on Switzerland on November 17 before flying to Doha on November 19.

Ghana, who are in Group H will open their campaign against Portugal on November 24 at Stadium 974 in Doha.

Four days later, the Black Stars’ return to action with a clash with South Korea at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan.

Ghana will wrap up its group stage adventure with its much-anticipated encounter with Uruguay at Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah.

The Black Stars having missed out in the last edition hosted in Russia in 2018 will be hoping to improve their performance in Qatar after exiting at the group phase during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.