By Daniel Bampoe
Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams has defended the government’s decision to seek additional financial support for Ghana’s participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, despite the substantial participation fee expected from FIFA for countries that qualify for the tournament.
Speaking during an interview on Citi TV with Bernard Avle, the Minister addressed growing public concerns over the funding arrangements for the Black Stars’ World Cup campaign and explained why Ghana still requires extra financial resources even though FIFA provides significant financial support to participating nations.
The discussion comes amid heightened public scrutiny over sports financing in Ghana following controversies surrounding expenditure on recent international sporting events, including the 2023 African Games and the African Athletics Championships hosted in Accra.
During the interview, Bernard Avle questioned the rationale behind the government’s fundraising efforts, arguing that FIFA’s financial allocation to participating countries should be sufficient to cover the costs associated with competing at the tournament.
According to the broadcaster, FIFA is expected to provide approximately $11 million to each nation that participates in the group stage of the World Cup, an amount he suggested was likely calculated to cover the cost of participation.
“If FIFA is giving every country $11 million for the first round, then essentially they are paying you back because you are the entertainment they provide and the money they generate comes from that,” Avle argued.
However, Kofi Adams maintained that the FIFA allocation does not cover all the expenses associated with a country’s participation at the World Cup, especially when broader logistical and administrative responsibilities are taken into account.
The Minister explained that while FIFA’s participation fee may cater for core tournament-related expenses, there are several additional costs that countries must absorb during the competition.
According to him, the government’s ambition extends beyond merely participating in the group stage. He indicated that authorities expect the Black Stars to progress beyond the first round and potentially compete among the tournament’s elite nations.
“The government expects us to go beyond the first round. In fact, government expects that we should go all the way and be among the top four,” Kofi Adams stated.
He noted that advancing further in the competition naturally increases operational costs, making it necessary to secure additional funding sources.
The Minister further disclosed that apart from the players, several categories of officials travel with the national team and contribute to the overall cost of participation.
When pressed to clarify the number of individuals the state would directly cater for, Kofi Adams explained that the official Black Stars delegation consists of 26 players, 22 technical and support staff members, and approximately five management committee members.
This brings the official team delegation to between 53 and 56 people, all of whom require accommodation, transportation, feeding, logistics and other operational support throughout the tournament.
He was quick to clarify, however, that officials of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), including the GFA President and General Secretary, are not part of the state-funded delegation budget.
According to him, the government’s direct financial responsibility is limited to the official team contingent, while additional categories of persons associated with the World Cup campaign would be catered for through separate fundraising initiatives.
Kofi Adams revealed that the Ministry has introduced a corporate fundraising drive aimed at mobilising support from the private sector to assist with expenses not covered by government allocations.
He stressed that no additional budgetary funds from the state would be used to finance persons outside the officially approved delegation.
