The Minister of Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, has confirmed that the $9 million the Black Stars are set to receive for qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be paid into Ghana’s newly established Sports Fund.
Under the expanded 48-team World Cup format, each qualifying nation will earn a minimum of $10.5 million, made up of $9 million in prize money for group-stage participation and an additional $1.5 million to support preparation costs.
Speaking to Citi Sports, Adams explained that expected World Cup earnings were a major motivation behind the creation of the Sports Fund, which has been laid before Parliament.
“If you observe the justification for the agency of the bill we took to Parliament, one of the things we indicated was the period, and that we wanted to take advantage of the period we found ourselves in. What is the period? Preparation for the FIFA World Cup. We want to insist that the bill, as it is now, when signed by the President, becomes an act,” he said.
The minister further outlined how revenues from international competitions would feed into the fund.
“One of the sources is proceeds from competitions and tournaments. For example, what FIFA is going to give us as a country is $9 million. The $1.5 million is for preparation, so that will go into preparation.
“But the $9 million would go into the fund, for example, unless we incur some other cost that we just have to deduct from it. If we don’t, we are going to put everything into the fund.”
According to Adams, channelling the money through a structured fund will allow Ghana to make long-term investments in sports infrastructure and development.
“Once it goes into the fund, there will be structured utilisation. So we can, for the first time, have infrastructure or edifices that we can point to, that out of the World Cup, this is what we were able to do.”
He added that the government is keen on leaving a tangible legacy from Ghana’s participation at the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
“So we intend to have projects that we can show that in our participation in the USA, Canada and Mexico World Cup 2026, this is what we were able to do,” he stated.
Adams also highlighted the financial incentives tied to progressing further in the tournament and expressed confidence in the Black Stars’ ability to go deep into the competition.
“And I believe that we are in good shape to go very far. You know, if you qualify for the next round of the 32 teams, you get an additional $3 million. And if you move further to the 32, you get an additional $4 million.
“So the further you go, the better it will be for you. We just have to perform, and I believe that we can be among the top four,” he added.
