One Win, Three Losses: Ghana’s final World Cup group game record

Ghana head into their final Group L match against Croatia at the 2026 FIFA World Cup already qualified for the knockout stage, but history shows their closing group-stage fixtures have rarely ended in celebration.

Across four previous World Cup tournaments, the Black Stars have recorded just one win in their final group games, alongside three defeats, highlighting a clear statistical pattern since their debut in 2006.

Their only victory came at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, when Ghana defeated the United States men’s national soccer team 2-1 in their final Group E fixture.

Goals from Haminu Dramani and Stephen Appiah secured a famous win that sealed their progression to the Round of 16 in their maiden appearance.

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Since then, Ghana have struggled to replicate that winning finish.

At the 2010 FIFA World Cup, they ended their group campaign with a 1-0 defeat to Germany national football team, although they still advanced to the knockout stages.

In the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the Black Stars suffered a 2-1 loss to Portugal national football team, a result that confirmed their exit from the tournament.

Their most recent final group match at the 2022 FIFA World Cup ended in a 2-0 defeat to Uruguay national football team, once again exiting at the group stage.

Now, despite already securing qualification this time around, Ghana carry that same historical trend into their clash with Croatia on Saturday, June 27, 2026.

With one win and three defeats in their last group-stage games across World Cups, the Black Stars will be hoping this already-qualified status finally helps break a long-standing statistical pattern that has defined their tournament endings for two decades.

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