Minister for Sports and Recreation Kofi Adams has admitted that the Black Stars lacked cohesion during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, attributing the challenge to the limited time the squad had together before the tournament.
Ghana made its fifth appearance at the global showpiece in North America and reached the knockout stage for the first time since the 2010 edition.
However, the Black Stars’ campaign ended in the Round of 32 after a narrow 1-0 defeat to Colombia.
Reflecting on the team’s performance, Mr Adams said the players had little opportunity to develop a stronger understanding beyond the World Cup qualifying campaign.
“We were at the World Cup with players who did not have the opportunity to play together beyond the qualifiers,” the Buem Member of Parliament said.
Despite the challenges, Ghana began the tournament with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Panama before holding England to a disciplined goalless draw.
A 2-1 defeat to Croatia in their final group match saw the Black Stars finish third, a result that was enough to secure qualification to the Round of 32 as one of the best third-placed teams.
Their World Cup journey, however, came to an end in the first knockout round after Colombia defeated the four-time African champions 1-0.
The Black Stars will now shift their focus to the qualification campaign for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
Ghana has been drawn in Group C alongside Côte d’Ivoire, Somalia and The Gambia, with the qualifiers scheduled to begin in September.
