Ghana national football team

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Ghana national football team represents Ghana in men's international association football.[4] It is named the Black Stars after the Black Star of Africa in the flag of Ghana.[5] The team is governed by the Ghana Football Association.[6] Prior to 1957, it played as the Gold Coast.[7]

NicknameBlack Stars
AssociationGFA
ConfederationCAF (Africa)
Sub-confederationWAFU (West Africa)
Quick facts Nickname, Association ...
Ghana
Shirt badge/Association crest
NicknameBlack Stars
AssociationGFA
ConfederationCAF (Africa)
Sub-confederationWAFU (West Africa)
Head coachCarlos Queiroz
CaptainJordan Ayew
Most capsJordan Ayew (122)
Top scorerAsamoah Gyan (51)
Home stadiumVarious
FIFA codeGHA
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 73 Increase 1 (11 June 2026)[1]
Highest14 (April–May 2007, February 2008)
Lowest89 (June 2004)
First international
 Gold Coast and United Kingdom British Togoland 1–0 Nigeria 
(Accra, British Gold Coast; 28 May 1950)
Biggest win
 Nyasaland 0–12 Gold Coast 
(Nyasaland; 15 October 1962)[2]
Biggest defeat
 Bulgaria 10–0 Ghana 
(Leon, Mexico; 2 October 1968)[3]
World Cup
Appearances5 (first in 2006)
Best resultQuarter-finals (2010)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances24 (first in 1963)
Best resultChampions (1963, 1965, 1978, 1982)
West African Nations Cup / WAFU Nations Cup
Appearances8 (first in 1982)
Best resultChampions (1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 2013, 2017)
Close

Ghana qualified for the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 2006.[8][9] It has won the Africa Cup of Nations four times (1963, 1965, 1978, and 1982), while finishing as runners-up five times (1968, 1970, 1992, 2010, and 2015).[10] Ghana have qualified for the CHAN four times, finishing as runners-up twice (2009 and 2014).[11]

History

On 19 August 1962 at the Accra Sports Stadium, Ghana hosted Real Madrid, who were at the time Spanish champions, drawing 3–3.[12]

Charles Kumi Gyamfi became coach in 1961, leading Ghana to successive African Cup of Nations titles, in 1963 and 1965. The Black Stars achieved their record win, 13–2 away to Kenya, in the latter.[13] It reached the final of the tournament in 1968 and 1970, losing 1–0 on both occasions, to DR Congo and Sudan respectively.[14] Its domination of the tournament earned it the nickname "the Black Stars of Africa" in the 1960s.[15]

Fortunes changed for the Black Stars after it failed to qualify for three successive AFCON's in the 1970s.[16] In the 1980s, with emerging talents such as Abedi Pele, the Black Stars defeated 1982 AFCON hosts Libya in the final to win its fourth continental title.[17] Fortunes changed again, as in the 1984 tournament, it was knocked out in the group stages, before failing to qualify for the 1986, 1988 and 1990 tournaments.[14] In 1992, the Black Stars would finish runners-up to the Ivory Coast in a penalty shootout after a goalless draw, which saw every player on the pitch take a penalty, in which they were beaten 11-10,[18] with African Footballer of the Year Abedi Pele suspended for the final.[19]

Tensions among the squad led to the parliamentary and executive to intervene and settle issues between players Abedi Pele and Tony Yeboah. In the 1990s, this may have played some part in the failure of the team to build on the successes of the national underage teams. The generation of Black Stars players who went to the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship final became the "core" of the team at the 2002 African Cup of Nations, going undefeated for a year in 2005 and qualifying for the final tournament of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The Black Stars started by succumbing to a 2–0 defeat to eventual champions Italy, and wins over Czech Republic (2–0) and the United States (2–1). This saw it advance through to the second round, where it lost 3–0 to Brazil.[20]

Under head coach Milovan Rajevac, the Black Stars went on to secure a 100% win record in its qualification campaign, winning its group and becoming the first African team to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In the final tournament, it was placed in Group D with Germany, Serbia and Australia, advancing to the round of 16 after finishing second in their group. Ghana played the United States, winning 2–1 in extra time to become only the third African nation to reach the World Cup quarter-finals, before losing to Uruguay in a penalty shootout in the quarter-finals, after Uruguayan forward Luis Suárez blocked a header with his hand in the penalty box in extra time and was sent off. Asamoah Gyan missed the penalty given for the handball, with the score 1–1. Ghana went on to lose the penalty shootout 4–2.[21]

In 2013, Ghana became the first team to reach four consecutive African Cup of Nations semi-finals twice, with the first occasion between 1963 and 1970.[22]

The Black Stars won their second round group of 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying, and defeated Egypt 7–3 on aggregate in a two-legged play-off,[23] qualifying for the finals. It was drawn in Group G for the finals, where it faced Germany, Portugal, and the United States.[24] It exited in the group stage recording one draw against eventual champions Germany and two losses, and was the only team to not lose to Germany in the tournament, and the only team to hold onto a lead against the Germans at any point.

In the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, Ghana reached the final, being denied the title on penalties against Ivory Coast. While its 2017 Africa Cup of Nations campaign ended in a 4th-place finish, it finished behind Egypt and Uganda in its final group qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. At the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, Ghana was eliminated by Tunisia in the round of 16. In 2021, manager Rajevac was brought back, and the Black Stars ended up failing to win a match at the AFCON where it lost 2–3 to debutants the Comoros after an André Ayew red card to finish bottom of their group, failing to progress beyond the group stage for the first time since 2006. Ghana drew 0–0 in a match against Nigeria and drew 1–1 in Nigeria to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup on away goals.[25] During the 2022 FIFA World Cup, it lost its first match against Portugal 3–2. Ghana earned a victory in its second match against South Korea by the same scoreline. A victory against Uruguay was required for a spot in the round of 16 in a rematch of the 2010 quarter-final; Ghana instead lost 2–0 and thus finished bottom, while Uruguay was eliminated as well, as a result of South Korea upsetting Portugal.

Ghana failed to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, for the first time since 2004, as it finished bottom of the group below Angola, Sudan, and Niger.[26][27]

Culture

Kits and crest

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ghana national football team kits.
Home shirt: 1970s–1980s

The official jersey colours for the Black Stars are white for home games and yellow for away games.[28]

Adopted following the independence of Ghana in 1957, the black star has been included in the Black Stars' kits. The Black Stars kits were sponsored by Puma SE from 2005, with the deal ending in 2014.[29]

Badge and anthem

Between 1990 and 2006, Ghana used the kit in the colours of the national flag of Ghana, with gold, green and red used, as in the team's crest and also known as the Pan-African colours. The gold with green and red kit concept and design was used in the 60s and 70s, and designed with gold and green vertical stripes and red shoulders. An all black second kit was introduced in 2008 and in 2015, Black Stars' gold-red-green coloured kit and all black coloured kit is to be reassigned to the position of 1st and 2nd kits following the induction of a brown with blue and gold coloured Black Stars 3rd kit in 2012.[30][31]

The team's kit for the 2014 FIFA World Cup was ranked as the best kit of the tournament by BuzzFeed.[32]

More information Kit supplier, Period ...
Kit supplier Period
Germany Erima1991–1992
Germany Adidas1992–2000
Italy Kappa2000–2005
Germany Puma2005–
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Grounds

Kumasi Sports Stadium
Lizzy Sports Complex

The training facilities and training grounds are located at Agyeman Badu Stadium, Berekum Sports Stadium in Brong-Ahafo, the Tema Sports Stadium in Tema and the multi-functional Lizzy Sports Complex in Legon.[33]

Organisation and finance

The Black Stars had no official head because of "corrupt" practices[34][35][36] by the then president, Kwesi Nyantakyi[37] and vice-president George Afriyie,[38] with Frank Davis as director of football, and Edward Bawa as treasurer.[39] The Ghana Football Association (GFA) signed a CN¥92.2 million (US$15 million) deal with Ghanaian state-run oil and gas exploration corporation, Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), to sponsor the Black Stars and the renewable contract saw the oil and gas exploration corporation become the global headline sponsor of the Black Stars, with a yearly Black Stars player salary wage bill,[40][41] following the gold mining corporations Ashanti Goldfields Corporation and Goldfields Ghana Limited (GGL), which had been sponsoring the Black Stars since 2005.

On 28 August 2013, the GFA launched a TV channel and named GFA TV. The channel has the exclusive rights to broadcast all the Black Stars' matches.[42] In November 2013, the Black Stars signed a 2013–2015 CN¥30.6 million (US$5 million) and an additional classified multi-million private bank sponsorship deal with the Ghanaian state-run private banking institution UniBank.[43]

Supporters

Ghanaian supporters at the 2015 AFCON match between Ghana and Guinea

The Black Stars maintain an average stadium match attendance of over 60,000, with 84,017 watching the 2010 FIFA World Cup quarter-final against Uruguay.[44] Its match against England on 29 March 2011 had the largest away following for any association football national team since the re-opening of Wembley Stadium in 2007.[45] The match was watched by 700 million people around the world.[45]

Following the team's appearances at the 2006 and 2010 World Cup tournaments, Ghana were greeted by some hundred fans dancing and singing at Accra International Airport in Accra.[46]

Rivalries

Main article: Jollof derby
Ghana against Nigeria in the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final

Ghana is rivals with Nigeria. The "Battle of Supremacy on the Gulf of Guinea" is between two of the "most successful teams on the African continent".[47] The proximity of the two countries to each other, a dispute between the different association football competitions and wider diplomatic competition for influence across West Africa add to this rivalry.[47][48] The match between these two countries is called the Jollof derby.[49]

Media and arts

Match schedules are broadcast in English as in the case of inter-continental matches and in Akan nationally by Adom TV, PeaceFM, AdomFM and HappyFM. During the scheduled qualification for the 2014 World Cup national broadcaster GTV, a sub-division of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), broadcast to the Ghanaian public home qualifiers with away qualifiers broadcast by the satellite television broadcasting corporation Viasat 1. The friendly match against Turkey in August 2013 was televised by Viasat 1 and the qualifiers for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2018 Inter-Continental Championships are scheduled for public broadcast by the corporations GFA TV, GBC and Viasat 1.[50]

Products including books, documentary films, Azonto dances and songs have been made in the name of the team. These may be intended with commercial motives and are focused on previous and future World Cups or Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.

  • Books: books have been published on the team's history and participation in tournaments. These include Ghana, The Rediscovered Soccer Might: Watch Out World!,[51] about the history and performance of the Black Stars and association football national teams that the Black Stars have played against, and The Black Stars of Ghana by Alan Whelan;[52] about Black Stars commencing their progress through the final rounds of the 2010 World Cup and into the quarter-finals.
  • Documentary films: In 2010 Miracle Films Ghana Limited showcased a vintage documentary film picture, Kwame Nkrumah & Ghana's Black Stars, about Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah "Africa's man of the 2nd millennium" and "Pan-African pioneer",[53] who invested energy into making Ghana's association football national team – the Black Stars – a force in African soccer.[54]
  • Nickname: The Black Star Line, a shipping industry line incorporated by the founder of the Back-to-Africa movement, civil rights movement leader Marcus Garvey and the organiser of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA) from 1919 to 1922, gives the Ghana team its nicknames, the Black Stars of West Africa and the Black Stars of Africa.[54]
  • Dances: upon the Black Stars scoring against opposition teams, dance forms of the Ghanaian Azonto were performed by Black Stars players in their goal celebrations in match victories at the 2010 World Cup and in 2013, an elite dance version of the Ghanaian Azonto named; "(Akan: Mmonko)" (shrimp), was established and showcased at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations by the Black Stars players.[55] Black Stars goal celebrations in match victories at the 2014 World Cup and upon scoring against opposition teams, are to establish and showcase Alkayida.[56]
  • Songs: On occasions of past World Cups or African Championships, a number of musicians with music producers created hiplife football songs which were composed in the Akan language – the 2006 World Cup song, "Akan: Tuntum Nsorom Ye Ko Yen Anim", (Black Stars, We are moving forward) musical composed by the Musicians Union of Ghana, is to motivate the Black Stars to perform creditably in its quest for the capturing of the World Cup trophy.[57] Black Stars' captain and top-goalscorer Asamoah Gyan recorded and released a Hiplife song with 'Castro The Destroyer', where he features under the alias 'Baby Jet'. The song is entitled "African Girls" and is sung in the Akan language and was launched onto the Ghanaian screens, continental West Africa screens and onto the Sub-Saharan Africa screens. The music video shows the "Asamoah Gyan Dance" goal celebration which he demonstrated at the 2010 World Cup. The song "African Girls" won an award at the Ghana Music Awards in 2011. The 2010 World Cup song, "Ghana Black Stars (Official Song 2010 World Cup)" composed by Ghanaian hiplife music group "Kings and Queens Entertainment" approved by the Ghana Football Association (GFA) as GFA has indicated that the Black Stars are a protected brand.[58]

Fixtures

Main article: Ghana national football team results (2020–present)

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, and future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2025

4 September 2026 World Cup qualification Chad  1–1  Ghana N'Djamena, Chad
14:00 UTC+1
  • Ecua 89'
 Report
Stadium: Stade Olympique Maréchal Idriss Déby Itno
Referee: Celso Alvação (Mozambique)
8 September 2026 World Cup qualification Ghana  1–0  Mali Accra, Ghana
19:00 UTC+0
Report Stadium: Accra Sports Stadium
Referee: Luxolo Badi (South Africa)
8 October 2026 World Cup qualification Central African Republic  0–5  Ghana El Jadida, Morocco
17:00 UTC+1 Report
Stadium: Ben M'Hamed El Abdi Stadium
Attendance: 200
Referee: Patrice Milazar (Mauritius)
12 October 2026 World Cup qualification Ghana  1–0  Comoros Accra, Ghana
19:00 UTC+0
Report Stadium: Accra Sports Stadium
Referee: Pierre Atcho (Gabon)
14 November 2025 Kirin Challenge Cup Japan  2–0  Ghana Toyota, Japan
19:20 UTC+9
Report Stadium: Toyota Stadium
Attendance: 40,030
Referee: Ben Abraham (Australia)
18 November Friendly South Korea  1–0  Ghana Seoul, South Korea
20:00 UTC+9
Report Stadium: Seoul World Cup Stadium
Attendance: 33,256
Referee: Ahmad Al-Ali (Kuwait)

2026

27 March Friendly Austria  5–1  Ghana Vienna, Austria
19:00 UTC+1
Report
Stadium: Ernst-Happel-Stadion
Attendance: 40,200
Referee: Mohammed Al Hoish (Saudi Arabia)
30 March Friendly Germany  2–1  Ghana Stuttgart, Germany
20:45 UTC+2
Report
Stadium: MHPArena
Attendance: 54,000
Referee: Stuart Attwell (England)
22 May Friendly Mexico  2–0  Ghana Puebla, Mexico
20:00 UTC−6
Report Stadium: Estadio Cuauhtémoc
Referee: Selvin Brown (Honduras)
2 June Friendly Wales  1–1  Ghana Cardiff, Wales
19:45 UTC+0
Report
Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium
Referee: Oscar Johnson (Sweden)
17 June 2026 World Cup Ghana  1–0  Panama Toronto, Ontario, Canada
19:00 UTC−4
Report Stadium: BMO Field
Attendance: 42,942
Referee: Glenn Nyberg (Sweden)
23 June 2026 World Cup England  0–0  Ghana Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States
16:00 UTC−4 Report Stadium: Gillette Stadium
Attendance: 63,983
Referee: Saíd Martínez (Honduras)
27 June 2026 World Cup Croatia  v  Ghana Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
17:00 UTC−4 Report Stadium: Lincoln Financial Field
2026 World Cup Round of 32 Ghana  v TBD Canada or United States
--:-- UTC−7
TBD 2027 AFCON Qualifiers Ghana  v  Ivory Coast TBD, Ghana
TBD Stadium: TBD
TBD 2027 AFCON Qualifiers Ivory Coast  v  Ghana TBD, Ivory Coast
TBD Stadium: TBD
TBD 2027 AFCON Qualifiers Ghana  v  Gambia TBD, Ghana
TBD Stadium: TBD
TBD 2027 AFCON Qualifiers Gambia  v  Ghana TBD, Gambia
TBD Stadium: TBD
TBD 2027 AFCON Qualifiers Ghana  v  Somalia TBD, Ghana
TBD Stadium: TBD
TBD 2027 AFCON Qualifiers Somalia  v  Ghana TBD, Somalia
TBD Stadium: TBD

Coaches

As of 21 April 2026
More information Position, Name ...
Position Name
Head coach Mozambique Portugal Carlos Queiroz[59][60][61]
Assistant coach South Africa Roger De Sá[62]
Assistant coach Ghana John Paintsil
Goalkeeping coach United States Portugal Daniel Gaspar[63]
Assistant goalkeeping coach Ghana Fatau Dauda
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History

See also: Ghana national football team manager
Mali vs Ghana, exhibition game at Paris, 31 March 2015

Since 1957, Ghana has had 32 head coaches and 3 caretakers. C. K. Gyamfi led it to 3 Africa Cup of Nations titles – in 1963, 1965 and 1982 – making Gyamfi the "joint most successful coach" in the competition's history.[64] Fred Osam Duodu led the Black Stars to their 1978 Africa Cup of Nations title;[65] Ratomir Dujković, Milovan Rajevac, James Kwesi Appiah and Otto Addo have led the Black Stars to World Cup qualification,[66][67] with the first two being Serbs.[68][69][70][71][72][73][74][75] Carlos Quieroz was appointed in April 2026 as Ghana's head coach ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, replacing Otto Addo after a run of four consecutive losses which culminated in a loss to the German national team in Stuttgart.[76][77] Former Ghana international Anthony Yeboah later expressed support for Queiroz's squad selection ahead of the tournament, backing the coach's decisions for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[78]

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the friendly match against Wales on 2 June 2026.[79]
Caps and goals correct as of 23 June 2026, after the match against England.

More information No., Pos. ...
No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Lawrence Ati-Zigi (1996-11-29) 29 November 1996 (age 29) 30 0 Swiss Football Association St. Gallen
12 1GK Joseph Anang (2000-06-08) 8 June 2000 (age 26) 1 0 Football Association of Ireland St Patrick's Athletic
16 1GK Benjamin Asare (1992-07-13) 13 July 1992 (age 33) 13 0 Ghana Football Association Hearts of Oak
2 2DF Alidu Seidu (2000-06-04) 4 June 2000 (age 26) 24 1 French Football Federation Rennes
4 2DF Jonas Adjetey (2003-12-13) 13 December 2003 (age 22) 12 0 German Football Association VfL Wolfsburg
6 2DF Abdul Mumin (1998-06-06) 6 June 1998 (age 28) 5 0 Royal Spanish Football Federation Rayo Vallecano
14 2DF Gideon Mensah (1998-07-18) 18 July 1998 (age 27) 42 0 French Football Federation Auxerre
17 2DF Abdul Rahman Baba (1994-07-02) 2 July 1994 (age 31) 52 1 Hellenic Football Federation PAOK
18 2DF Jerome Opoku (1998-10-14) 14 October 1998 (age 27) 13 1 Turkish Football Federation İstanbul Başakşehir
21 2DF Kojo Peprah Oppong (2004-06-04) 4 June 2004 (age 22) 5 0 French Football Federation Nice
23 2DF Derrick Luckassen (1995-07-03) 3 July 1995 (age 30) 1 0 Cyprus Football Association Pafos
26 2DF Marvin Senaya (2001-01-28) 28 January 2001 (age 25) 4 0 French Football Federation Auxerre
3 3MF Caleb Yirenkyi (2006-01-15) 15 January 2006 (age 20) 13 2 Danish Football Association Nordsjælland
5 3MF Thomas Partey (Vice-Captain) (1993-06-13) 13 June 1993 (age 33) 58 15 Royal Spanish Football Federation Villarreal
7 3MF Abdul Fatawu (2004-03-08) 8 March 2004 (age 22) 30 3 The Football Association Leicester City
8 3MF Kwasi Sibo (1998-06-24) 24 June 1998 (age 28) 10 0 Royal Spanish Football Federation Oviedo
11 3MF Antoine Semenyo (2000-01-07) 7 January 2000 (age 26) 36 3 The Football Association Manchester City
15 3MF Elisha Owusu (1997-11-07) 7 November 1997 (age 28) 21 0 French Football Federation Auxerre
20 3MF Augustine Boakye (2000-11-03) 3 November 2000 (age 25) 0 0 French Football Federation Saint-Étienne
22 3MF Kamaldeen Sulemana (2002-02-15) 15 February 2002 (age 24) 29 1 Italian Football Federation Atalanta
9 4FW Jordan Ayew (Captain) (1991-09-11) 11 September 1991 (age 34) 122 34 The Football Association Leicester City
10 4FW Brandon Thomas-Asante (1998-12-28) 28 December 1998 (age 27) 9 1 The Football Association Coventry City
13 4FW Christopher Bonsu Baah (2004-12-14) 14 December 2004 (age 21) 9 0 Saudi Arabian Football Federation Al-Qadsiah
19 4FW Iñaki Williams (1994-06-15) 15 June 1994 (age 32) 27 2 Royal Spanish Football Federation Athletic Bilbao
24 4FW Ernest Nuamah (2003-11-01) 1 November 2003 (age 22) 19 4 French Football Federation Lyon
25 4FW Prince Kwabena Adu (2003-09-23) 23 September 2003 (age 22) 7 0 Football Association of the Czech Republic Viktoria Plzeň
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Latest call-ups

The following had been called up in 12 months preceding the above draft.

More information Pos., Player ...
Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Solomon Agbasi (2000-10-13) 13 October 2000 (age 25) 1 0 Ghana Hearts of Oak 2026 FIFA World Cup PRE
GK Paul Reverson (2005-06-20) 20 June 2005 (age 21) 0 0 Netherlands Jong Ajax 2026 FIFA World Cup PRE
GK Gidios Aseako (2005-01-19) 19 January 2005 (age 21) 0 0 Ghana Dreams v.  Mexico, 22 May 2026 PRE
DF Alexander Djiku (1994-08-09) 9 August 1994 (age 31) 38 4 Russia Spartak Moscow 2026 FIFA World Cup PRE / INJ
DF Razak Simpson (1998-07-15) 15 July 1998 (age 27) 8 1 Ghana Nations v.  Mexico, 22 May 2026
DF Ebenezer Annan (2002-08-21) 21 August 2002 (age 23) 7 0 France Saint-Étienne v.  Mexico, 22 May 2026
DF Ebenezer Abban (1998-01-12) 12 January 1998 (age 28) 2 0 Ghana Heart of Lions v.  Mexico, 22 May 2026
DF Nathaniel Adjei (2002-08-21) 21 August 2002 (age 23) 2 0 France Lorient v.  Mexico, 22 May 2026
DF Terry Yegbe (2001-01-25) 25 January 2001 (age 25) 2 0 France Metz v.  Mexico, 22 May 2026
DF Ebenezer Adade (2002-05-26) 26 May 2002 (age 24) 1 0 Ghana Dreams v.  Mexico, 22 May 2026
DF Antwi Dacosta (2007-03-06) 6 March 2007 (age 19) 1 0 Belgium RSCA Futures v.  Mexico, 22 May 2026
DF Jan Gyamerah (1995-06-18) 18 June 1995 (age 31) 1 0 Germany SV Elversberg v.  Mexico, 22 May 2026
DF Oscar Naasei (2005-02-24) 24 February 2005 (age 21) 1 0 Spain Granada v.  Mexico, 22 May 2026
DF David Oduro (2006-06-12) 12 June 2006 (age 20) 1 0 Spain Barcelona Atlètic v.  Mexico, 22 May 2026
DF Manu Duah (2005-05-06) 6 May 2005 (age 21) 0 0 United States San Diego v.  Mexico, 22 May 2026
DF Derrick Köhn (1999-02-04) 4 February 1999 (age 27) 3 0 Germany Union Berlin v.  Germany, 30 March 2026
DF Patric Pfeiffer (1999-08-20) 20 August 1999 (age 26) 1 0 Germany Darmstadt 98 v.  Germany, 30 March 2026
DF Mohammed Salisu (1999-04-17) 17 April 1999 (age 27) 21 4 France Monaco[a] v.  South Korea, 18 November 2025
DF Tariq Lamptey (2000-09-30) 30 September 2000 (age 25) 11 0 Unattached v.  Mali, 8 September 2025
MF Majeed Ashimeru (1997-10-10) 10 October 1997 (age 28) 13 0 Belgium RAAL La Louvière v.  Mexico, 22 May 2026
MF Ibrahim Osman (2004-11-29) 29 November 2004 (age 21) 4 0 England Birmingham City v.  Mexico, 22 May 2026
MF Salim Adams (2002-10-11) 11 October 2002 (age 23) 1 0 Ghana Medeama v.  Mexico, 22 May 2026
MF Emmanuel Agyei (2004-11-03) 3 November 2004 (age 21) 1 0 Scotland Dundee United v.  Mexico, 22 May 2026
MF Prince Amoako (2007-02-19) 19 February 2007 (age 19) 1 0 Denmark Nordsjælland v.  Mexico, 22 May 2026
MF Jesurun Rak-Sakyi (2002-10-05) 5 October 2002 (age 23) 1 0 England Crystal Palace v.  Mexico, 22 May 2026
MF Ibrahim Sulemana (2003-05-22) 22 May 2003 (age 23) 7 0 Italy Cagliari v.  Germany, 30 March 2026
MF Abu Francis (2001-04-27) 27 April 2001 (age 25) 7 0 France Toulouse v.  South Korea, 18 November 2025
MF Prince Owusu (2004-10-08) 8 October 2004 (age 21) 3 0 Ghana Medeama v.  South Korea, 18 November 2025
MF Kelvin Nkrumah (2007-09-11) 11 September 2007 (age 18) 0 0 Ghana Medeama v.  South Korea, 18 November 2025
MF Mohammed Kudus (Third Captain) (2000-08-02) 2 August 2000 (age 25) 46 13 England Tottenham Hotspur v.  Comoros, 12 October 2025
MF Salis Abdul Samed (2000-03-26) 26 March 2000 (age 26) 22 0 France Nice v.  Mali, 8 September 2025
FW Felix Afena-Gyan (2003-01-19) 19 January 2003 (age 23) 9 1 Turkey Amedspor v.  Mexico, 22 May 2026
FW Jerry Afriyie (2006-12-10) 10 December 2006 (age 19) 6 1 Belgium La Louvière v.  Mexico, 22 May 2026
FW Aziz Issah (2005-11-20) 20 November 2005 (age 20) 2 0 Spain Barcelona Atlètic v.  Mexico, 22 May 2026
FW Dan Agyei (1997-06-01) 1 June 1997 (age 29) 1 0 Turkey Kocaelispor v.  Mexico, 22 May 2026
FW Joseph Opoku (2005-08-08) 8 August 2005 (age 20) 1 0 Belgium Zulte Waregem v.  Mexico, 22 May 2026
FW Francis Amuzu (1999-08-23) 23 August 1999 (age 26) 0 0 Brazil Grêmio v.  Mexico, 22 May 2026
FW Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer (2001-09-13) 13 September 2001 (age 24) 7 0 Germany Hamburger SV v.  Germany, 30 March 2026
FW Prince Osei Owusu (1997-01-07) 7 January 1997 (age 29) 2 0 Canada Montréal v.  South Korea, 18 November 2025
FW Joseph Paintsil (1998-02-01) 1 February 1998 (age 28) 18 0 United States LA Galaxy v.  Comoros, 12 October 2025
Notes
  • CNC Cancelled match.
  • WD Withdrew.
  • INJ Withdrew because of injury.
  • PRE Preliminary squad.
  • RET Retired from international association football.
  • SUS Suspended from the team.
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Local team

Main article: Ghana A' national football team

The football association of Ghana (GFA) administers national teams at levels, including one for the local national team. The team is restricted to players who only play in the local league, thus the Ghana Premier League. It is nicknamed Local Black Stars.[80][81][82]

Records

As of 23 June 2026[83]
Players in bold are still active with Ghana.

Most appearances

Jordan Ayew is Ghana's all-time most capped player with 122 caps.


More information Rank, Player ...
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1Jordan Ayew122342010–
2André Ayew120242007–
3Asamoah Gyan109512003–2019
4Richard Kingson9311996–2011
5John Paintsil9102001–2013
6Harrison Afful8602008–2018
7Sulley Muntari84202002–2014
8John Mensah8132001–2012
9Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu78112008–2017
10Kwadwo Asamoah7442008–2019
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Top goalscorers

Asamoah Gyan is Ghana's top goalscorer with 51 goals.
More information Rank, Player ...
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1Asamoah Gyan511090.472003–2019
2Edward Acquah45411.11956–1964
3Kwasi Owusu36450.81968–1976
4Jordan Ayew341220.282010–
5Tony Yeboah29590.491985–1997
6Karim Abdul Razak25620.41975–1988
7André Ayew241200.22007–
8Wilberforce Mfum20260.771960–1968
Sulley Muntari20840.242002–2014
10Osei Kofi19250.761964–1973
Abedi Pele19730.261982–1998
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Captains

Tournament record

FIFA World Cup

Main article: Ghana at the FIFA World Cup
Top: At the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.
Center and bottom: Ghana against Uruguay in the 2010 tournament at Soccer City, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Ghana have qualified for 5 FIFA World Cup tournaments, in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2022 and 2026. In 2006, it was the only African side to advance to the second round in Germany, and was the sixth nation in a row from Africa to progress beyond the group stages of the World Cup.[93] Ghana had the youngest team in the 2006 edition with an average age of 23 years and 352 days,[93] and were praised for its improving performance.[94][95] FIFA ranked Ghana 13th out of the 32 countries who competed in the tournament.[96]

In the 2010 World Cup, Ghana reached the quarter-finals where it was eliminated by Uruguay, after Luis Suárez's handball prevented a possible winning goal.[97] Of the 32 countries that participated in the 2010 edition, FIFA ranked Ghana 7th.[98]

After beating Egypt 7–3 on aggregate in November 2013, Ghana qualified for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.[99] For the first time, Ghana were eliminated in the group stage, drawing 2–2 against Germany, and losing to the United States and Portugal 2–1.[100] Eight years later, Ghana failed to advance past the group stage again, at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.[101]

More information FIFA World Cup record, Qualification record ...
FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA Campaign
1930 to 1954 Part of United Kingdom Part of United Kingdom
Sweden 1958 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
Chile 1962 Did not qualify 4 1 2 1 6 4 1962
England 1966 Withdrew Withdrew
Mexico 1970 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 2 3 1970
West Germany 1974 6 4 1 1 14 5 1974
Argentina 1978 3 1 0 2 3 5 1978
Spain 1982 Withdrew Withdrew
Mexico 1986 Did not qualify 4 1 2 1 2 2 1986
Italy 1990 2 0 1 1 0 2 1990
United States 1994 4 2 0 2 4 3 1994
France 1998 8 2 4 2 9 8 1998
South Korea Japan 2002 10 5 2 3 14 11 2002
Germany 2006 Round of 16 13th 4 2 0 2 4 6 Squad 12 8 3 1 24 4 2006
South Africa 2010 Quarter-finals 7th 5 2 2 1 5 4 Squad 12 8 1 3 20 8 2010
Brazil 2014 Group stage 25th 3 0 1 2 4 6 Squad 8 6 0 2 25 6 2014
Russia 2018 Did not qualify 8 2 5 1 9 5 2018
Qatar 2022 Group stage 24th 3 1 0 2 5 7 Squad 8 4 3 1 8 4 2022
Canada Mexico United States 2026 in progress 2 1 1 0 1 0 Squad 10 8 1 1 23 6 2026
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined To be determined 2030
Saudi Arabia 2034 2034
Total 17 6 4 7 19 23 101 52 26 23 163 76
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Africa Cup of Nations

Main article: Ghana at the Africa Cup of Nations
At the 2015 AFCON vs. Guinea in the quarter-finals.

The Black Stars of Ghana have won the Africa Cup of Nations four times: in 1963, 1965, 1978, and 1982, bettered only by Cameroon and Egypt. As the first winner of three AFCON tournaments, it obtained the right to permanently hold the trophy in 1978.[102]

In November 2024, following a 1–1 draw against Angola, Ghana failed to qualify for the 2025 AFCON, missing the tournament for the first time since 2004.[103][104]

More information Africa Cup of Nations record, Qualification record ...
Africa Cup of Nations record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Squad Pld W D* L GF GA Campaign
Sudan 1957 Not affiliated to CAF Not affiliated to CAF
United Arab Republic 1959
Ethiopia 1962 Did not qualify 2 0 2 0 2 2 1962
Ghana 1963 Champions 1st 3 2 1 0 6 1 Squad Qualified as hosts
Tunisia 1965 Champions 1st 3 3 0 0 12 5 Squad Qualified as defending champions
Ethiopia 1968 Runners-up 2nd 5 3 1 1 11 8 Squad Qualified as defending champions
Sudan 1970 Runners-up 2nd 5 2 2 1 6 4 Squad 2 2 0 0 15 1 1970
Cameroon 1972 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 0 1 1972
Egypt 1974 4 1 0 3 3 7 1974
Ethiopia 1976 4 2 0 2 7 5 1976
Ghana 1978 Champions 1st 5 4 1 0 9 2 Squad Qualified as hosts
Nigeria 1980 Group stage 5th 3 1 1 1 1 1 Squad Qualified as defending champions
Libya 1982 Champions 1st 5 2 3 0 7 5 Squad 4 2 2 0 6 4 1982
Ivory Coast 1984 Group stage 6th 3 1 0 2 2 4 Squad Qualified as defending champions
Egypt 1986 Did not qualify 4 1 2 1 5 4 1986
Morocco 1988 2 0 1 1 1 2 1988
Algeria 1990 2 1 0 1 1 1 1990
Senegal 1992 Runners-up 2nd 5 4 1 0 6 2 Squad 8 5 2 1 11 2 1992
Tunisia 1994 Quarter-finals 5th 3 2 0 1 3 2 Squad 2 2 0 0 3 0 1994
South Africa 1996 Fourth place 4th 6 4 0 2 7 5 Squad 4 3 0 1 9 3 1996
Burkina Faso 1998 Group stage 11th 3 1 0 2 3 3 Squad 4 2 1 1 4 3 1998
Ghana Nigeria 2000 Quarter-finals 8th 4 1 1 2 3 4 Squad Qualified as hosts
Mali 2002 7th 4 1 2 1 2 2 Squad 6 4 1 1 16 8 2002
Tunisia 2004 Did not qualify 4 1 1 2 5 5 2004
Egypt 2006 Group stage 10th 3 1 0 2 2 3 Squad 10 6 3 1 17 4 2006
Ghana 2008 Third place 3rd 6 5 0 1 11 5 Squad Qualified as hosts
Angola 2010 Runners-up 2nd 5 3 0 2 4 4 Squad 12 8 1 3 20 8 2010
Gabon Equatorial Guinea 2012 Fourth place 4th 6 3 1 2 6 5 Squad 6 5 1 0 13 1 2012
South Africa 2013 Fourth place 4th 6 3 2 1 10 6 Squad 2 2 0 0 3 0 2013
Equatorial Guinea 2015 Runners-up 2nd 6 4 1 1 10 3 Squad 6 3 2 1 11 7 2015
Gabon 2017 Fourth place 4th 6 3 0 3 4 5 Squad 6 4 2 0 14 3 2017
Egypt 2019 Round of 16 12th 4 1 3 0 5 3 Squad 4 3 0 1 8 1 2019
Cameroon 2021 Group stage 19th 3 0 1 2 3 5 Squad 6 4 1 1 9 3 2021
Ivory Coast 2023 17th 3 0 2 1 5 6 Squad 6 3 3 0 8 3 2023
Morocco 2025 Did not qualify 6 0 3 3 3 7 2025
Kenya Tanzania Uganda 2027 To be determined To be determined
2028
Total 105 54 23 28 138 93 118 64 29 25 194 85
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*Draws include matches decided by penalty shoot-out.

West African Nations Cup and WAFU Nations Cup

More information Year, Round ...
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Olympic Games

More information Olympic Games record, Year ...
Olympic Games record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad
1900 to 1956 Part of United Kingdom
Italy Rome 1960 Did not qualify
Japan Tokyo 1964 Quarter-finals7th4112712Squad
Mexico Mexico 1968 Group stage12th302168Squad
West Germany Munich 1972 16th3003111Squad
Canada Montreal 1976 Withdrew after qualifying
Soviet Union Moscow 1980
United States Los Angeles 1984 Did not qualify
South Korea Seoul 1988
Since 1992See Ghana national under-23 football team
Total101361431
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Friendly tournaments

Head-to-head record

Against FIFA recognised teams

As of 23 June 2026 after the match against England.

More information Opponent, Pld ...
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  1. [a]
    Monaco is a Monégasque club playing in the French football league system.
  2. [b]
    Croatia will play Ghana on 27th June 2026
  3. [c]
    Includes the match against West Germany

Against non-FIFA recognised teams

More information Opponent, Pld ...
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  1. [a]
    This club was known as Yukong FC when they played against Ghana

Notes

References

External links

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