Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin believes Ghana national football team have the quality to outperform expectations at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, provided the team is properly motivated and well-prepared.
Ghana have been drawn in Group L for the tournament, which will be staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico, where they will face Panama, England and Croatia.
Despite generally modest expectations heading into the competition, the Effutu MP insists the Black Stars possess enough talent to make a strong impression on the global stage.
He stressed, however, that performance will largely depend on preparation levels, motivation, and the incentives offered to both players and technical staff.
According to him, Ghanaian teams have historically delivered better results when the right structures and support systems are in place.
“They need to be properly motivated. The incentives that are supposed to be in place must be in place. When a Ghanaian team is properly composed and well motivated, they go beyond expectations,” he told TV3.
Afenyo-Markin also reflected on Ghana’s memorable 2010 World Cup campaign in South Africa, where the Black Stars reached the quarter-finals and came within touching distance of a historic semi-final appearance.
He recalled the dramatic penalty miss by Asamoah Gyan in the quarter-final defeat to Uruguay, which denied Ghana a place in the last four — a milestone that would have made them the first African side to achieve the feat at the time.
“Ghana has great potential when it comes to football. We know what we did in South Africa, where we crossed the round of 16 stage and were almost there. But for the penalty miss by Asamoah Gyan, we would have reached the semi-finals,” he added.
The Black Stars will begin their campaign against Panama on June 17, before taking on England on June 23, and concluding the group stage against Croatia on June 27.
Ahead of the tournament, Carlos Queiroz’s side will step up preparations with international friendlies against Mexico later this month and Wales on June 2.
Ghana head into the tournament seeking to improve on disappointing back-to-back group-stage exits in 2014 and 2022.
