BY ISSAH OLEGOR
Ghana’s encouraging performance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup has been rewarded with a significant rise in the latest FIFA World Rankings, providing further evidence of the Black Stars’ resurgence on the international stage.
Following their impressive run to the Round of 32 at the expanded 48-team tournament, the Black Stars have climbed eight places to 65th in the world, recording one of the biggest improvements in the latest FIFA rankings update.
Only Norway enjoyed a bigger rise, moving up 12 places after their own impressive performances, while Ghana’s eight-place jump represents the country’s largest leap in the global rankings in recent years.
The latest rankings also see the Black Stars move up to 14th in Africa, strengthening Ghana’s standing among the continent’s leading football nations ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.
The rise follows an improved World Cup campaign under head coach Carlos Queiroz, who guided the four-time African champions back to the knockout stages for the first time since the 2010 tournament in South Africa.
Drawn in a difficult Group L alongside England, Croatia and Panama, the Black Stars began their campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Panama before producing a disciplined defensive performance to earn a goalless draw against England.
Although Ghana suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat to Croatia in their final group match, they advanced to the newly introduced Round of 32 as one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams under FIFA’s expanded World Cup format.
The Black Stars’ journey ended in Kansas City after a 1-0 defeat to Colombia, with Jhon Arias scoring the only goal of the match. Despite the exit, Ghana’s overall performances earned widespread praise and demonstrated clear progress after disappointing group-stage exits at the 2014 and 2022 FIFA World Cups.
The improvement in the FIFA rankings is expected to boost confidence within the national team as preparations begin for the next phase of the international calendar.
