Assistant coach of the Ghana national football team, John Paintsil, has expressed strong optimism about Ghana’s chances at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, insisting the current squad possesses the experience and quality to compete for a place in the latter stages of the tournament.
Ghana will make its fifth appearance at the global showpiece, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico this summer.
The Black Stars endured disappointing group-stage exits at the 2014 tournament in Brazil and the 2022 edition in Qatar, but Paintsil believes lessons learned from those campaigns have helped shape a more mature and competitive squad heading into the upcoming competition.
Speaking to 3Sports, the former Ghana international stated that the team has what it takes to go deep into the tournament.
“We have enough experience to be in the semi-finals or final of the 2026 World Cup,” Paintsil said.
Ghana will open their World Cup campaign against Panama national football team on June 17 before facing England national football team on June 23. The Black Stars will conclude their group-stage matches with a clash against Croatia national football team on June 27.
As part of preparations for the tournament, Ghana is scheduled to regroup in March for international friendlies against Austria national football team and Germany national football team, before taking on Mexico national football team in a final warm-up match ahead of the World Cup.
The technical team hopes the preparatory fixtures will help fine-tune tactics and build momentum as Ghana aims to surpass its historic quarter-final finish achieved at the 2010 tournament.
