Ghana’s Black Stars have kicked off their preparations for Friday’s friendly against Japan, with 18 players already in camp at the Ana Crowne Plaza Hotel in Nagoya.
Sixteen foreign-based players checked in on Tuesday to link up with local duo Kelvin Nkrumah and Prince Owusu, who were the first to arrive from Accra over the weekend. The early arrivals mark the beginning of Ghana’s buildup to the November 14 clash, part of the 2025 Kirin Cup series.
Among those already settled in are goalkeepers Joseph Anang and Lawrence Ati-Zigi, defenders Derrick Kohn, Jerome Opoku, Ebenezer Annan, Jonas Adjetey, Kojo Oppong Peprah, Caleb Yirenkyi, Alidu Seidu, and Gideon Mensah.
The midfield department is led by Abu Francis and Kwasi Sibo, while the attack features Prince Owusu, Kamaldeen Sulemana, Antoine Semenyo, Brandon Thomas-Asante, Kelvin Nkrumah, and Prince Adu Kwabena.
📹 Touchdown Nagoya! 🇯🇵
🇬🇭 #BlackStars are in Japan ahead of friendlies against Japan (Nov 14) and South Korea (Nov 18). 👊🏾 pic.twitter.com/MTwRKgBmkB
— 🇬🇭 Black Stars (@GhanaBlackstars) November 12, 2025
More reinforcements are expected on Wednesday, including Hearts of Oak goalkeeper Benjamin Asare, who featured in Sunday’s Super Clash against Asante Kotoko, as well as Christopher Bonsu Baah, Prince Osei Owusu, and Mohammed Salisu.
The team is scheduled to hold its first training session in Nagoya on Wednesday evening as head coach Otto Addo and his staff fine-tune tactics ahead of the highly anticipated encounter with the Blue Samurai.
Ghana will be using the friendly as part of its broader preparations for upcoming World Cup qualifiers later this year.
