For over 20 years, Ghana has been a World Cup favorite, but it looks like that could change in 2026. Over the past several years, the Black Stars’ once-proud program has collapsed.
Their failure to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations tournament for the first time since 2004 last fall was the conclusion of that. Changes have been made in response to the setback, but will they be sufficient to prevent a dismal World Cup showing the following summer?
We’ll go over the Black Stars’ top three challenges below, along with our predictions for how they will develop over the next ten months.
Claims Against Thomas Partey
The status of Thomas Partey, Ghana’s outstanding midfielder, is the team’s biggest issue. The veteran, who was named Ghana Player of the Year in 2018 and 2019, has been the Black Stars’ captain for many years. He signed with Arsenal, a major player in the English Premier League, in 2020 as a result of his remarkable talent, but that contract ended abruptly earlier this year.
While Arsenal and Partey were negotiating a new deal, allegations of sexual assault from 2022 in the UK came out again during the summer. Arsenal ended talks with the police once they ultimately charged the star last month. Despite fans’ mixed reactions to his debut, Partey is currently with La Liga’s Villareal.
The Black Stars will not have a chance to go past the group stage if Partey is not included in their final World Cup roster. They will have an advantage due to the larger field, but losing such a vital player would be terrible.
But Ghana’s national team might suffer as a result of Partey’s inclusion on the squad. There would be a huge distraction in the locker room if a UK court were still deliberating over such grave accusations. Seeing the team solve the leadership problem is difficult.
Addo Resuming Leadership
Ghana has experienced upheaval at the management position in addition to potentially losing their best player. In 2022, legendary Otto Addo captained the squad for a short time before stepping down following the World Cup. After they struggled further, the Black Stars made the decision to bring him back to the position in April 2025.
Despite being one of Ghanaian football’s brightest names, Addo has no managerial experience. Prior to 2021, he was an assistant with Borussia Dortmund. A veteran team would make the task easier, according to some team officials, but others have recommended bringing the former great back to manage.
The leadership of the national team takes a risk when they believe that the experience of the roster will lessen the significance of the manager’s job. Because they thought Addo’s legendary status would add more to the team, they might have been oblivious to his managerial shortcomings.
In addition to his lack of tactical experience, Addo is now having to cope with the Partey accusations. He is being charged with protecting the locker room from the scandal in addition to dealing with increasing media attention.
Pressure From the Public
Compared to the Black Stars’ finest years, the strain on them seems to be even greater now. Expectations are high, and as the team lags behind African competitors like Morocco, Senegal, and Cameroon, fans’ ire has grown. Team authorities made some significant decisions as a result of the backlash following their failure to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations.
In our opinion, Ghana might face significant challenges from public pressure if the World Cup began today. Time might be on their side, though.
Fans’ and pundits’ expectations have started to be tempered by the team’s difficulties. Ghana is predicted to finish in the bottom 15 to win the World Cup by the majority of major bookies. They are on par with Georgia, Iran, and Ireland based on their odds. Fans are now reconsidering even utilizing their free bets to support their team because of it.
If those hopes are not fulfilled, this team’s strategy for the international championship next summer may be totally altered. As they did more than twenty years earlier, the team could flourish as an underdog because they had nothing to lose.
