Khaberni - Ghana qualified for the 2026 World Cup finals in football after a 1-0 victory over Comoros on Sunday in Accra.
The "Black Stars" team topped Group 9 in the African qualifiers. This will be Ghana's fifth appearance in the World Cup, after 2006 and 2010 (reaching the quarterfinals), 2014, and 2022. The Ghanaian team joins four other African teams that had already secured their tickets to the football festival: Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, and Egypt.
Ghana returned to the international arena after its performance dwindled on the continental level in recent months, particularly at the African Nations Championship in early 2024, where they were knocked out in the group stages.
These results led to the dismissal of Irish coach Chris Hughton and the arrival of Otto Addo in his place, which did not reflect positively as Ghana finished last in the qualifying group for the next African Nations Cup, with a disastrous record of no wins, three draws, and three defeats for Alexander Djiku and his teammates.
Addo found himself in a difficult position, as his players performed terribly in the first half and created no opportunities despite significant fan support.
Ghana scored from their first and only chance right after the break when Tottenham striker Mohammed Kudus followed up a cross from Thomas Partey at close range to shake the net (47).
The Comoros team was the only one that defeated the "Black Stars" in the World Cup qualifiers, in the first leg match in November 2023 with a score of 1-0.
In the same group, Mali defeated its visitor Madagascar 4-1, with goals by Lasine Sinaiko (10 and 63), Dorgel Nene (38), and Feyenoord Dutch striker Diara Gausso (90+5), while Johan Nzi scored for Madagascar (90).
The Central African Republic also won against its neighbor Chad 3-2.
In Group 1, Egypt, which had secured its qualification in the previous round, reinforced its lead after defeating its guest Guinea-Bissau 1-0 at Cairo International Stadium.
Notably absent from the "Pharaohs" squad led by coach Hossam Hassan were English Premier League stars Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush, who were in the stands to support their teammates.
Mohamed Hamdi scored the only goal of the game with a powerful shot that found the back of the Guinean net after Ahmed Nabil "Koka" sent a precise cross into the box (10).
The Egyptian team dominated most of the play, with attempts to enhance the score by players like Ahmed Sayed "Zizo", Mahmoud Hassan "Trezeguet", and Mustafa Mohamed.
In the same group, Burkina Faso strengthened its second place by defeating its guest Ethiopia 3-1. Sierra Leone overcame its host Djibouti 2-1.
Egypt leads with 26 points ahead of Burkina Faso with 21, followed by Sierra Leone with 15 points, Guinea-Bissau fourth (10), Ethiopia fifth (9), and Djibouti last with one point.
In a side match within Group 5, which Morocco had previously topped, Niger defeated its host Zambia with a single goal scored by Daniel Sousa (56).
The leaders of the nine groups qualify for the finals, while the best teams that finished second move to the playoffs.
