By Nadia Ntiamoah
The Black Stars will round off their preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a final international friendly against Honduras on June 9, as head coach Carlos Queiroz seeks to put the finishing touches on his squad ahead of the global tournament in North America.
The match, which will be played behind closed doors, replaces an earlier proposed fixture against Jamaica that was initially scheduled for June 10 but failed to materialise after negotiations between the two football associations did not lead to a final agreement.
The encounter against Honduras is expected to provide Queiroz with one last opportunity to assess his players and fine-tune tactical plans before Ghana begins its World Cup campaign later this month.
The Black Stars head into the game on the back of a 1-1 draw against Wales at the Cardiff City Stadium, a performance that offered encouraging signs despite the late disappointment of conceding an equaliser in stoppage time.
FC Nordsjaelland midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi announced himself on the international stage with a well-taken goal in the 66th minute to give Ghana the lead. However, Wales snatched a draw deep into added time through Lewis Koumas, denying the Black Stars a morale-boosting victory.
Despite the result, the technical team viewed the match as an important exercise in evaluating player fitness, tactical discipline and squad depth ahead of football’s biggest tournament.
Following the Honduras friendly, the Black Stars will travel to Toronto, Canada, where they will establish their World Cup base and begin preparations for their opening group-stage fixture.
Ghana will be making its fifth appearance at the FIFA World Cup after previous participations in Germany 2006, South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014 and Qatar 2022.
The Black Stars remain Africa’s most successful World Cup performers after becoming only the third African nation to reach the quarter-finals of the tournament in South Africa in 2010, where they came within a penalty shootout of becoming the first African side to reach the semi-finals.
However, Ghana has struggled to replicate that achievement in recent editions, suffering group-stage eliminations in both Brazil 2014 and Qatar 2022.
The challenge facing Carlos Queiroz and his squad this year appears even greater after Ghana was drawn in a highly competitive Group L alongside Panama, England and Croatia.
The Black Stars will begin their campaign against Panama on June 17 at Toronto’s BMO Field before facing tournament favourites England at the Gillette Stadium on June 23 in the US.
Ghana will then conclude its group-stage campaign against 2018 FIFA World Cup runners-up Croatia on June 27 in what could prove to be a decisive fixture in the race for qualification to the knockout stages.
Football analysts have described Group L as one of the toughest groups at the tournament, with England and Croatia possessing considerable World Cup pedigree while Panama remains a dangerous and unpredictable opponent.
