Ghana qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals after a 1-0 victory over Comoros the day before yesterday in Accra.

The “Black Stars” topped Group 9 in the African qualifiers. This will be Ghana’s fifth World Cup appearance, after 2006, 2010 (when they reached the quarter-finals), 2014, and 2022. Ghana joined four other African teams that had already secured their spots: Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, and Egypt.

Ghana returned to the international scene after a decline in their continental performance in recent months, especially at the Africa Cup of Nations in early 2024, where they were eliminated in the group stage.

These results led to the dismissal of Irish coach Chris Hughton and the appointment of Otto Addo as his replacement, but this did not have a positive effect as Ghana finished last in the group qualifying for the next Africa Cup of Nations, with a disastrous record of no wins, three draws, and three losses for Aleksandar Džeko and his teammates.

Addo found himself in a difficult position as his players delivered a very poor first half and created no chances despite strong fan support.

Ghana opened the scoring from their first and only chance immediately after the break when Tottenham striker Mohammed Kudus followed up on a Thomas Partey cross from close range to score (47′).

Comoros was the only team to have beaten the “Black Stars” in the World Cup qualifiers, winning the first leg in November 2023 by 1-0.

In the same group, Mali defeated Madagascar 4-1, with goals from Lassine Sinayoko (10′, 63′), Dorgeles Nene (38′), and Feyenoord striker Gaoussou Diarra (90+5′), while Johan Nzi scored for Madagascar (90′).

The Central African Republic also beat their neighbor Chad 3-2.

In Group 1, Egypt, who had already secured qualification in the previous round, strengthened their lead by defeating Guinea-Bissau 1-0 at Cairo International Stadium.

Mohamed Hamdy scored the only goal of the match with a powerful shot that found the net after a precise cross from Ahmed Nabil “Koka” inside the penalty area (10′).

In the same group, Burkina Faso improved their standing by beating Ethiopia 3-1. Sierra Leone also defeated hosts Djibouti 2-1.