President John Dramani Mahama has urged the Black Stars to begin preparations for the 2030 FIFA World Cup immediately, stressing that sustained planning and continuity will be key to building on the team’s impressive showing at the 2026 tournament.
His remarks follow Ghana’s exit from the World Cup in North America, where the four-time African champions reached the Round of 32 before being eliminated.
Speaking during an inspection tour of the Ho Sports Stadium, President Mahama commended the Black Stars for exceeding expectations and called on football authorities to adopt a long-term approach as the country targets future success.
According to the President, retaining the current squad and convincing head coach Carlos Queiroz to remain in charge would provide Ghana with a solid foundation to challenge for both the Africa Cup of Nations and the next World Cup.
“We need to start preparing for the next World Cup. The Black Stars did well; nobody gave them a chance. People predicted they would crash out in the group stage, but they managed to reach the Round of 32,” Mahama said.
“I’m sure that if we keep this team, and we persuade the coach [Carlos Queiroz] to continue to work with the team, by the time of the next AFCON and the next World Cup, we’ll have a team that can claim the championship in either of those two competitions,” he added.
Ghana enjoyed a promising campaign at the 2026 World Cup, opening with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Panama before earning a historic goalless draw against England for their first-ever World Cup point against the Three Lions.
Although the Black Stars lost 2-1 to Croatia in their final Group L fixture, they progressed to the knockout stage as one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams. Their campaign eventually came to an end following a narrow 1-0 defeat to Colombia in the Round of 32.
Attention has now turned to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, with Ghana drawn in Group C alongside Côte d’Ivoire, Somalia and The Gambia.
The qualifiers are set to begin in September as the Black Stars look to secure a return to the continental tournament after failing to qualify for the 2025 edition.
