By Nadia Ntiamoah
Ghana Football Association (GFA) President Kurt Okraku has described the Black Stars’ qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup as a powerful demonstration of mental strength and resilience, insisting that the team’s ability to rebound from the disappointment of missing the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations reflects a growing maturity within the national setup.
Speaking in an interview with Metro TV, Okraku—who also serves as the Second Vice President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF)—admitted that failing to qualify for AFCON 2025 in Morocco was one of the lowest moments in the football cycle.
For him, participation in the continent’s premier tournament is not optional but an expectation for a country with the football pedigree.
“AFCON for me is a given. We have to be there, and if we are not there, that will be the low side of our sport,” Okraku said.
The Black Stars’ absence from the AFCON tournament was widely viewed as a major setback, especially for a nation that has historically been one of Africa’s most consistent performers.
However, Okraku believes the response that followed has been even more significant, pointing to the team’s ability to reorganise quickly and secure qualification for football’s biggest global stage.
“We have been able to organise ourselves, and we have been able to make it to the World Cup,” he stated. “That shows the strength of the team that we have. The mindset and the mentality of the people we have. That we went so low, but then within the same period we have gone so high.”
Okraku acknowledged that the missed AFCON opportunity will remain a source of regret, noting that it denied Ghana the chance to compete for continental glory and restore pride in Africa’s showpiece tournament.
Yet he framed the World Cup qualification as evidence that the federation and the playing body have the capacity to recover from adversity and refocus on long-term objectives.
Reflecting further on the team’s contrasting fortunes, Okraku described 2024 as a particularly difficult year for the Black Stars, a period marked by inconsistency and struggles on the pitch.
But he said the turnaround in 2025 has been remarkable, with the team producing an unbeaten run in competitive fixtures.
“The excitement in my heart is that in 2024 the Black Stars struggled, but in 2025 the Black Stars did not lose one competitive game, one official game,” he said.
“That is a big statement… that tells me when we stay together, when we work together, when we believe, we can always reach our target.”
In 2025, Ghana played six competitive matches, winning five and drawing one—results that proved decisive in booking a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
While the team’s friendly form was less convincing, with three defeats in four matches and only one win against Trinidad and Tobago, Okraku maintained that official performances showed clear progress and renewed belief.
The Black Stars have now been drawn into Group L for the 2026 World Cup, where they will face Panama, England and Croatia in what promises to be a challenging group-stage campaign.
For Okraku, returning to the World Cup stage is a statement of recovery and ambition, even as the federation continues to reflect on the painful AFCON failure.
Coach Otto Addo and his squad will begin preparations for the tournament with international friendlies scheduled for March 2026 against Austria and Germany, as Ghana seeks to build momentum and ensure they arrive at the World Cup ready to compete.
