Black Stars captain Jordan Ayew has vowed that Ghana will arrive at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with the ambition to compete and make a strong impression rather than simply participate.
The four-time African champions are preparing for their fifth appearance at football’s biggest tournament and have been drawn in a challenging Group A alongside Panama, England and Croatia.
Ghana heads into the competition seeking to improve on its recent World Cup performances. After reaching the quarter-finals in South Africa in 2010, the Black Stars have endured consecutive group-stage exits at the 2014 and 2022 editions.
Speaking after the team’s arrival at its training base in Rhode Island, Ayew acknowledged the challenges ahead but expressed confidence in the squad’s readiness for the tournament.
“We know it’s going to be a difficult tournament. It won’t be easy. We have a young group, and for the past three to four years, we have been building towards moments like this. Obviously, we didn’t qualify for AFCON, but we managed to qualify for the World Cup, and that was not easy either,” he said.
“Now that we are here, we are not coming as spectators. We are here to compete, to perform, to make our country proud, and to give our very best for ourselves and the people back home. I know the boys are ready, so we’ll see what happens,” the 34-year-old added.
The 34-year-old forward is expected to play a key leadership role as Ghana seeks to navigate one of the tournament’s most competitive groups.
The Black Stars will begin their World Cup campaign against Panama on June 17 before taking on England at Gillette Stadium in Boston on June 23.
Ghana will then conclude its group-stage fixtures against Croatia at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on June 27.
