Ghana to know group opponents for 2026 World Cup qualifiers in July

Ghana will know who their group opponents for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on Wednesday, July 12, 2023, at an event to be held in Benin.

The Black Stars are preparing for a challenging journey as they aim to secure a spot in the prestigious tournament, set to be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has introduced a qualification format that poses a tougher path for African teams. The continent will be represented by nine teams, with the possibility of a tenth team participating as well.

CAF has organized the qualifiers into nine groups, each consisting of six teams. The top nine teams from each group will directly qualify for the FIFA World Cup.

In a bid to determine the tenth representative from Africa, CAF has introduced an additional opportunity. The four best second-placed teams from the groups will enter a playoff stage.

The winner of this playoff will then face a team from the CONCACAF zone, which encompasses North and Central America, for a chance to secure the tenth and final spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Spanning a period of two years, the qualifiers are scheduled to take place from November 2023 to November 2025. The initial matchdays will be played in November 2023, followed by the third and fourth matchdays in June 2024. Matches will continue from the fifth to the tenth matchday throughout 2025.

The Black Stars, who have qualified for four of the last five World Cups, will be determined to make their fifth appearance.

Ghana exited the 2022 World Cup at the group stages after finishing at the bottom of their group, which included Portugal, South Korea, and Uruguay.

JNA/BB