Afenyo-Markin backs Black Stars to exceed 2026 World Cup expectations with proper motivation

Minority Leader Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin believes the Ghana national football team can surpass expectations ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup if they are well motivated.

Ghana will come up against the Panama national football team, England national football team, and the Croatia national football team in Group L in the Mundial slated to be hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico this summer.

With expectations low ahead of the tournament, the Minority Leader said Ghana possesses the quality and talent needed to make a significant impact at the tournament in North America.

He, however, stressed that success will largely depend on the level of preparation, motivation, and incentives provided to the players and technical team.

According to the Effutu Member of Parliament, Ghanaian teams have historically exceeded expectations whenever the right structures and motivation have been put in place.

“They need to be properly motivated. The incentives that are supposed to be in place must be in place. When a Ghanaian team is properly composed and well motivated, they go beyond expectations,” he told TV3.

Reflecting on Ghana’s memorable run at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Afenyo-Markin recalled how close the Black Stars came to reaching the semi-finals for the first time in African football history.

Ghana reached the quarter-finals before suffering a heartbreaking elimination against Uruguay following Asamoah Gyan’s dramatic penalty miss.

“Ghana has great potential when it comes to football. We know what we did in South Africa, where we crossed the round of 16 stage and were almost there. But for the penalty miss by Asamoah Gyan, we would have reached the semi-finals,” he added.

The Black Stars will begin their campaign against Panama on June 17, before taking on England on June 23, and concluding the group stage against Croatia on June 27.

Ahead of the tournament, Carlos Queiroz’s side will step up preparations with international friendlies against Mexico national football team later this month and Wales national football team on June 2.

After back-to-back group stage eliminations in 2014 and 2022 in Brazil and Qatar, respectively, the Black Stars are aiming to improve their performance at the tournament.