It's Ghana's time to return to World Cup - CK Akonnor

Ghana coach Charles 'CK' Akonnor is determined to lift Ghana over South Africa, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia to keep the Black Stars' hopes of making a return to the World Cup alive.

The four teams have been pitted against each other in Group G of the penultimate round of qualifiers for Qatar 2022.

The West Africans are eyeing another appearance at the global gathering after missing out on Russia 2018.

"We know all the teams," Akonnor said in a TV interview after Tuesday's draw in the Egyptian capital of Cairo.

"South Africa, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia will do their bit to get there (Qatar) but we will put in hard work and we know that hard work pays.

"The last [World Cup] we went to was in Brazil. We didn't qualify for the last one and we are hoping and believing that this is the time for us to be back there.

"But it is important for us to put in hard work.

"It is the desire for all the teams to qualify but we will put a lot of work in the desire to qualify."

Having drawn a bye for the first round qualifiers, the Black Stars will hope to finish top of Group G in the second round to reach the third and final round of the series.

The 10 group winners will face off in play-off home and away fixtures in November next year to decide Africa's five representatives for the final tournament in Qatar.

Ghana, Africa's joint-best performers at the World Cup with a quarter-final appearance in South Africa 2010, have qualified for the tournament on three occasions.

The Black Stars made their debut at Germany 2006, reaching the Round of 16, before going on to make the quarter-final four years later.

In 2014 in Brazil, the West Africans failed to qualify beyond the group stage, finishing bottom of Group G behind eventual champions Germany, United States of America and Portugal.