The Ghana Football Association has appealed to football fans to remain calm over the delay in announcing the Black Stars’ final squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Several countries participating in the tournament have already released their final 26-man squads, leaving many Ghanaian football faithfuls questioning why the Black Stars squad is yet to be officially unveiled.
Speaking on the issue, Head of Public Relations and Strategy for the GFA, Neil Armstrong Mortagbe, insisted there is no cause for concern as the technical team continues its assessment process ahead of FIFA’s official deadline.
“Well, there’s a deadline that FIFA have given for the countries to release it. Until that deadline passes, I don’t think that there’s anything to be worried about. Carlos Queiroz is working, and they are preparing to release a squad that we believe will go out there and defend the honour of mother Ghana,” he said.
Mortagbe also explained that the current friendly matches are part of the technical team’s evaluation process, especially for players looking to force their way into the final squad.
“It’s a preparatory game. I believe that there’s a purpose for why the squad that was called up for that game was called up. Let’s say, from a football fan’s perspective, they might have an expectation that they wanted to see some more familiar faces,” he stated.
“But I believe from the technical team’s perspective, they also want to see what other options they could bring up to help to bring some level of additional competitiveness within the ultimate squad that is announced, and I reckon that is the reason why we saw the call-up that we saw,” he added.
He further hinted that the long-awaited squad announcement could come shortly after Ghana’s international friendly against Mexico.
“And after tomorrow’s game, I reckon that the technical team will be in a position to release the long-awaited squad for mother Ghana,” he concluded.
The Black Stars are preparing for their fifth FIFA World Cup appearance and have been drawn in Group L alongside Panama, England and Croatia.
Ghana will begin their campaign against Panama on June 18 before facing England on June 23 and Croatia on June 27.
