Minister for Sports and Recreation Kofi Adams has admitted that the absence of Mohammed Kudus from Ghana’s squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is a significant blow to the Black Stars, although he noted that injuries are an unfortunate reality in football.
Kudus, 25, had been expected to regain full fitness by the end of April after recovering from a hamstring injury. However, a recurrence of the problem sidelined him for the remainder of the season and ultimately cost him a place in Carlos Queiroz’s final 26-man squad for the tournament.
Speaking on TV3 Sports, the Sports Minister expressed disappointment over the setback, revealing that many Ghanaians had hoped the talented forward would recover in time to feature at the World Cup.
“We prayed for Kudus to be fit in order to play the World Cup tournament, but injury is part of the football profession,” the Buem Member of Parliament said.
Kudus has been one of Ghana’s standout performers in recent years and remains fondly remembered for his heroics at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where he scored twice in the Black Stars’ thrilling 3-2 victory over South Korea.
Now with Tottenham Hotspur, the attacking midfielder was widely expected to play a key role in Ghana’s campaign before his injury setback.
The Black Stars are preparing for their fifth FIFA World Cup appearance and have been drawn in Group L alongside Panama, England and Croatia.
Ghana will kick off its campaign against Panama on June 17 at BMO Field before taking on England at Gillette Stadium on June 23. The team will wrap up its group-stage fixtures with a clash against Croatia on June 27.
Despite Kudus’ absence, the Black Stars remain determined to make an impact at the tournament and will be aiming to reach the knockout stage for the first time since their historic quarter-final run at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
