By Issah Olegor
The future of Black Stars head coach Carlos Queiroz will be decided this week as the Ghana Football Association (GFA) prepares to review the Portuguese tactician’s technical report following the campaign at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The 73-year-old former Real Madrid, Iran, Egypt and Colombia coach faces a crucial assessment by the GFA Executive Council, which is expected to determine whether he should continue leading the senior national team into the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The meeting, scheduled for Friday, July 31, is expected to place Queiroz’s technical report high on its agenda, with the Executive Council examining both the team’s performance at the World Cup and his recommendations for the future of Ghana football.
Although Queiroz exceeded many expectations by guiding the Black Stars beyond the group stage of the World Cup for the first time since Ghana’s historic quarter-final appearance in South Africa in 2010, uncertainty has continued to surround his future since the team’s elimination from the tournament.
The experienced Portuguese coach was appointed only weeks before the World Cup after replacing Otto Addo on a short-term contract, giving him very little time to prepare the squad before football’s biggest tournament.
Despite the limited preparation period, Queiroz managed to steady the team and oversee a campaign that restored some confidence in the Black Stars after a difficult period in Ghanaian football.
Ghana opened its World Cup campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Panama, before earning an impressive goalless draw against England, one of the tournament favourites.
Although the Black Stars suffered a 2-1 defeat to Croatia in their final group match, they accumulated enough points to progress to the Round of 32 as one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams.
Their World Cup journey eventually came to an end after a narrow 1-0 defeat to Colombia in the knockout stage, ending hopes of matching or surpassing the famous run to the quarter-finals 16 years earlier.
While many supporters praised Queiroz for bringing tactical discipline and organisation to the team within a short period, others believe the GFA should appoint a long-term coach capable of rebuilding the Black Stars ahead of future competitions.
The debate over his future intensified after President John Dramani Mahama publicly urged the Ghana Football Association to retain the experienced Portuguese coach.
The President’s endorsement has added another dimension to discussions surrounding the national team’s technical direction, although the final decision remains solely within the authority of the GFA Executive Council.
Executive Council member Nana Oduro Sarfo has confirmed that the association will base its decision on the coach’s technical report rather than public opinion.
Speaking in an interview with Asempa FM, Sarfo explained that the Executive Council would carefully study Queiroz’s report before determining whether he should remain in charge of the Black Stars.
“Carlos Queiroz’s future will be decided after the GFA reviews his reports,” Sarfo stated.
The technical report is expected to provide a detailed assessment of Ghana’s World Cup campaign, including the team’s preparations, performances, tactical observations, challenges encountered during the tournament and recommendations ahead of future international assignments.
The review process forms part of the GFA’s standard post-tournament evaluation, aimed at identifying strengths and weaknesses before embarking on another qualification campaign.
The timing of the decision is particularly important because the Black Stars have little time to prepare for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, which begin in September.
Ghana has been drawn in a challenging Group C alongside Ivory Coast, Gambia and Somalia, making every aspect of the team’s preparations critical.
The qualifiers carry added significance after Ghana failed to qualify for the previous edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, one of the country’s biggest disappointments in recent football history.
That failure placed enormous pressure on the GFA to rebuild the national team and restore confidence among supporters, making the appointment of Queiroz one of the association’s most important technical decisions in recent years.
His World Cup performance has therefore become a major factor in determining whether he is the right man to continue the rebuilding process.
