Black Stars defender Gideon Mensah believes Ghana can take plenty of positives from their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign despite suffering a heartbreaking exit at the hands of Colombia.
The Black Stars saw their journey come to an end after a 1-0 defeat to the South Americans in the Round of 32 on Friday, with Jhon Arias’ early strike proving enough to separate the two sides in Kansas City.
Reflecting on the disappointing result, Mensah admitted the squad was devastated but insisted they had given everything in pursuit of a place in the Round of 16.
“We are proud of our journey. It’s unfortunate that the result turned out this way,” Mensah said after the game.
“We came into the game very confident of a win, but it just didn’t work out. The players fought very hard. We wanted to give Ghana victory so that we could make it to the next round, but it didn’t work.”
The left-back acknowledged the pain of the defeat, describing the mood in the dressing room as sombre, while urging the team to quickly turn its attention to future challenges.
“It’s hard to take, and we must take it on the chin and move on,” he said. “What we can do now is go back home, reflect deeply and begin another journey in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.”
Despite the disappointment of missing out on a place in the last 16, Mensah believes Ghana’s performances at the tournament have laid a strong foundation for the future.
“Obviously, we are not happy about the loss. The mood in the dressing room is very down, but we have a lot of positives to pick from this campaign going into the future.”
The Black Stars exited the 2026 FIFA World Cup after reaching the Round of 32, ending an encouraging campaign that saw them return to the knockout stages for the first time since 2010.
Ghana will now shift their focus to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, with the team determined to build on the lessons learned from their World Cup campaign and return stronger in their quest for continental success.
