Antoine Semenyo is among the headliners of Ghana’s 2026 FIFA World Cup roster. With a pro career spanning a decade, including currently suiting up for Manchester City in the Premier League, you might assume he’s got it all figured out. Nowadays, it sure seems like he does. But as it turns out, he almost walked away from football entirely.
Speaking in an interview with FIFA, Semenyo said that rickety stints with Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea, Fulham, Millwall and Crystal Palace during his formative years almost caused him to leave the sport.
“I was very frustrated that I wasn’t signed by any of the teams,” he explained. “I just ended up giving it up and focusing on school. I gave up for the year, enjoyed just being normal.”
Fortunately for the Ghana national team, as well as Manchester City, the forward returned to the game following his brief sabbatical. Fast forward to now, and not only is he a standout attacker in the Premier League, but he’s an international brand. From people across the globe wearing his jersey to his name being heavily included in props sections of featured US online sportsbooks, the 26-year-old has become a household name.
To that end, his rise to prominence in England had many wondering, years ago, whether he would even represent Ghana as a member of the Black Stars. That issue was put to bed in advance of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Of course, if you ask Semenyo, it was never actually an issue at all.
Antoine Semenyo Always Wanted to Rep the Black Stars
During that same FIFA interview, Semenyo detailed that his decision to play for Ghana wasn’t much of a decision at all:
“Despite being born and raised in England, Semenyo said representing Ghana was never in doubt. ‘My mum and dad are Ghana through and through. They never really mentioned anything about England. Obviously, living in England, you get the conversation of: ‘Oh, you should represent England’. But it was never a conversation I ever had, really.’ The forward added that his love for the Black Stars was shaped by childhood memories of watching major tournaments with his family. ‘I feel like watching Ghana play in the World Cup was so special,’ he said. ‘Mum, dad, uncles, aunties, cousins all turn up to one house, and we’ll watch all the games together, celebrating, screaming, all the emotions. It’s everything, it’s so special.’”
This year will mark Ghana’s fifth appearance in the storied tournament, which will now feature 48 teams instead of the previous 32. The Black Stars’ best-ever finish came in 2010, when they reached the quarter-finals.
Hope doesn’t exactly spring eternal entering this year’s mega tournament. The roster has undergone changes and needed to navigate 11th hour curveballs, including the decision to part ways with manager Otto Ado. Most do not have them advancing past the group stage and into the knockout round.
Semenyo Believes Ghana Can Go on a World Cup Run
Just don’t tell any of this to Semenyo. He believes that Ghana has the ability to make some noise, in large part because of how disappointed they remain that they failed to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
“We were so frustrated that we didn’t qualify,” he told FIFA. “But we’re not just coming to the World Cup, we want to compete on all levels. We’ve got a lot of attacking talent and killer instincts.”
For what it’s worth, making it past the group stage feels somewhat doable. Ghana is in Group L, alongside England, Croatia and Panama. While nobody is picking them to knock off England, the Croatian team isn’t generating as much buzz as they were in 2022. Panama is considered eminently beatable.
Led by Semenyo and Mohammed Kudus, Ghana’s Achilles heel is considered inexperience. There are not a ton of players on the roster with previous World Cup experience. And of course, none of them were around when the Black Stars last advanced.
Still, as Semenyo alludes to, the youthfulness of the roster lends itself to standout attacking speed. So many World Cup matches, as well as the bracket at large, can become a war of attrition. If Ghana can maintain its aggressive movement and pressure most of the 90 minutes, two victories and a second-place finish in Group L might just be in play.
