Ghana can win the World Cup - Kofi Amoah

Former Ghana Football Association Normalisation Committee president Kofi Amoah believes the West African nation is capable of rising above expectations to win the Fifa World Cup.

Three-time participants at the global showpiece, the Black Stars' best performance remains a quarter-final finish at the 2010 edition of the tournament held in South Africa.

But for a missed last-gasp extra-time penalty by striker Asamoah Gyan during the last eight clash with Uruguay, Ghana would have been the first African nation to reach the semi-finals of the competition.

“The priority should be strengthening the local football league, including grassroots level. Sammy Kuffuor, Michael Essien and most of our top stars made their names from the grassroots level," Amoah told Citi Sports.

“When the Germans saw their football was in decline, they took a step back and prepared a plan. It took them 11 years, but they won the World Cup in Brazil [in 2014].

“Ghana can win the World Cup. We have the talent, but the organization and the approach are wrong.

“I hope my friends at the Ghana Football Association will fix it."

After missing out of on the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Ghana have set their sights on making a prompt return to the championship as the Qatar 2022 qualifiers beckon.

Ghana president Nana Akufo-Addo recently tasked the Black Stars to qualify for next year's championship and go on to reach the semi-finals.

“The target is to bring the cup home by winning Afcon 2022. We must go a step further than our second-placed finishes in 1992, 2010 and 2015 and end the 40-year drought for a title,” Akufo-Addo said last week.

"We must also reach at least the semi-finals of the World Cup in Qatar. Our exploits in 2010, where we reached the quarter-final in South Africa, tell us that once prepared, we have the quality and the talent to match any of the best teams in the world.

“The task might seem daunting, but it is exactly not insurmountable."

In the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, Ghana have been pitted against South Africa, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe in the second round. The qualifiers start next month.