Former Ghana defender Anthony Baffoe has urged Black Stars coach Carlos Queiroz to adopt a tactical system that best suits the current Ghana squad ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Ghana have secured qualification for their fifth appearance at the global tournament, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico in an expanded 48-team competition.
The Black Stars have been drawn in Group L alongside England, Croatia and Panama. Ghana will open their campaign against Panama before facing England and Croatia.
Speaking to Citi Sports, Baffoe stressed that the national team must focus on discipline and tactical organisation rather than relying on the dominant style associated with previous generations of Ghanaian football.
“We all wish the players good luck and for me the coach should have the adequate formation in regards to the players he has. I don’t think we are the Ghana like some years back that we play dominant football. I believe that we have to be compact and use the players accordingly.
“How do we put, for instance, Antoine Semenyo who had a fantastic season in the Premier League appropriately? How do we use Jordan? I’m just mentioning names appropriately. So for me, I think we should play very, very compact because the intensity is going to be very, very high.
“But once again, fully behind the coach, the technical team and the players. We are Ghanaians, we always remain Ghanaians. Sometimes we are not happy but as soon as the World Cup starts kicking off, we are 100% behind the team,” he said.
The Black Stars have already started preparations in Cardiff ahead of their pre-World Cup friendly against Wales on June 2. Queiroz is currently overseeing training sessions at Dragon Park as Ghana intensify preparations for the Mundial.
The team is expected to spend one week in Cardiff before travelling to the United States for the next phase of camping. The technical team will use the friendly matches and training sessions to assess players before announcing the final 26-man squad for the tournament.
Ghana previously participated in the FIFA World Cup in 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2022, with their best achievement coming in 2010 when the Black Stars reached the quarter-finals.
