A former Black Stars player, Emmanuel Agyemang Badu, has described the team's group for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers as dangerous and tricky but believes the team can circumvent around it with hard work to qualify.
Ghana was drawn in a group with Mali, Madagascar, Central African Republic, Comoros and Chad for the 2026 World Cup to be staged in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
"The group looks manageable on paper, but very dangerous and tricky because of how football has evolved. It all depends on what a team does on the pitch, which includes the hard work put in, its mentality and desire to win for the nation," he stated.
Speaking exclusively to the Times Sports over Ghana's chances to qualify for the maiden expanded World Cup after the recent draw for the qualifiers, he said the Black Stars find themselves in a tough and tricky group.
He said with the exception of Chad, the Black Stars had played all the countries in the group and recorded very disappointing outcomes.
In October 2020, Ghana lost 3-0 in a friendly match against Mali and was followed by a January 2022 clash between the Black Stars and Comoros in an African Cup of Nations meeting which the Black Stars lost 3-2.
The Black Stars also drew 1-1 with the Central African Republic (CAR) in June 2022 and followed by a June 2023 goalless encounter with Madagascar.
"These results are not favourable for Ghana and will need an extraordinary effort and performance to qualify from the group," he stated.
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He said qualification would not be easy for the team but was, however, optimistic that with the right mentality and support, they could top the group.
He identified Mali as the toughest opponent in the group but was far from underestimating any of the other candidates whose focus would be on upsetting the favourites in the group.
"We must also be mindful of the likes of Madagascar and Central African Republic who have improved tremendously within the last few years; they would give Ghana a tough test," he added.
"The only way out is to win all the games, especially the home matches but without doubt, Mali represent Ghana's biggest threat to qualification," he stressed.
"We have a very young and talented team with the qualities to make the nation proud. All they need is to get the rhythm and play together," he said.
To achieve that, he said they must have a good preseason with their clubs in order to enjoy decent playing time before joining the national team camp.
He said Coach Chris Hughton, has shown promise with the games he has played so far and was optimistic if the trend continues, the Stars would be on one of their best runs at the World Cup stage.
He urged all Ghanaians to continue to support the team to excel to make the nation proud.
