Vice Chairman of the Black Stars Management Committee, Stephen Appiah, has acknowledged that a possible absence of Mohammed Kudus would deal a significant setback to Ghana’s World Cup ambitions.
The 26-year-old attacker is currently recovering from a hamstring injury sustained in January, with his return timeline disrupted after an initial setback in rehabilitation. The situation has raised concerns that he could miss the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Appiah, who captained Ghana to their historic debut World Cup appearance in 2006, admitted the team would feel the loss of a player of Kudus’ influence but insisted the squad must remain resilient.
“We know his contribution to the team, but even during playing days, when a player is not available, we went ahead to play the game, so we should go ahead with that level of belief that when someone is not around, someone will be there to replace him,” he told Asempa FM in an exclusive interview.
“Kudus is him, and when he is available and plays, he gives the team a lift, but we should just pray and see what happens because I am equally impressed with the performance of some of our players playing abroad,” Appiah added.
He also expressed optimism about the depth of Ghana’s squad, pointing to encouraging performances from players based abroad.
Before his injury setback, Kudus had made 19 appearances, scoring twice.
Ghana have been drawn in Group L alongside Panama, England, and Croatia. They will begin their campaign against Panama at BMO Field in Toronto on June 17, before facing England in Boston on June 23. The group stage will conclude against Croatia at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on June 27.
The Black Stars head into the tournament aiming to improve on their recent World Cup outings, having exited at the group stage in both 2014 and 2022.
