Black Stars assistant coach Roger De Sa believes Ghana’s performance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup was affected by the absence of several key players, including Mohammed Kudus, who missed the tournament due to injury.
Kudus, together with Mohammed Salisu, Alexander Djiku and Abu Francis, was ruled out of Ghana’s final 26-man squad after picking up different injuries before the competition.
Reflecting on Ghana’s World Cup campaign, the South African coach, who joined the technical team ahead of the tournament, said the absence of experienced players created challenges for the team’s preparations and selection process.
Speaking to Flashscore, De Sa explained that losing four regular members of the squad, especially in defence, forced the technical team to depend on younger and less experienced players.
“We had lost four regular players, including both centre-backs, a winger from Tottenham Hotspur (Mohammed Kudus) and a midfielder.
“The absence of the centre-backs was particularly concerning because it meant using younger, less experienced players,” he said.
De Sa also pointed to the difficulty of assessing players before the tournament, noting that some of the options available to the technical team were not getting enough playing time at their clubs.
“Some of the players we were considering were also not getting regular game time at their clubs, so the selection process was challenging.
“You could travel to another city to watch a player, take your seat in the stadium and then find that he was on the bench,” he added.
Despite the setbacks, Ghana began the World Cup campaign positively, beating Panama 1-0 in their opening Group L match before holding England to a goalless draw.
However, the Black Stars suffered a 2-1 defeat to Croatia in their final group game and were later eliminated at the Round of 32 stage after a narrow 1-0 loss to Colombia.
With the tournament now over, Ghana is expected to welcome back Kudus, Salisu and Djiku as preparations begin for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The Black Stars have been drawn in Group C alongside Ivory Coast, Gambia and Somalia, with the qualifiers set to begin in September.
