Black Stars head coach Carlos Queiroz has reportedly submitted his provisional squad to FIFA ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.
The provisional list, submitted ahead of FIFA’s deadline, reportedly contains a number of notable inclusions and exclusions as the Portuguese tactician continues preparations for the global tournament.
One of the major absentees from the squad is experienced defender Mohammed Salisu, who misses out due to injury concerns. Veteran captain Andre Ayew is also reportedly not included in the provisional squad, marking another major talking point ahead of the tournament.
Meanwhile, injured midfielder Mohammed Kudus has reportedly made the provisional list despite concerns over his fitness. The 25-year-old has been sidelined since the start of the year and remains a doubt ahead of the World Cup, although hopes remain high that he could recover in time to make the final squad.
The Black Stars are currently in Puebla, Mexico, where preparations continue ahead of Friday’s pre-World Cup friendly against Mexico. However, reports indicate that several players expected to feature in the final World Cup squad are not part of the current group in camp for the friendly encounter.
Coach Queiroz is expected to use the Mexico game to assess the available players before announcing Ghana’s final 26-man squad on June 1, which is FIFA’s official deadline day for final submissions.
After the Mexico test, Ghana will face Wales in another international friendly next month before travelling fully to North America for the tournament.
The Black Stars will begin their World Cup campaign against Panama on June 17 before taking on England on June 23 and Croatia on June 27 in Group L.
Ghana will be hoping to make a strong impact at the tournament after suffering group-stage exits at both the 2014 and 2022 FIFA World Cups.
