Former Ghana Football Association (GFA) Vice President George Afriyie believes Ghana have a strong chance of opening their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign on a winning note, expressing confidence that the Black Stars can overcome Panama national football team in their first group match.
Ghana are scheduled to begin their Group L journey at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on June 17 against the Central American side before facing tougher tests later in the group stage.
The Black Stars will then lock horns with England national football team on June 23, before wrapping up their group fixtures against Croatia national football team on June 27.
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Despite acknowledging the quality of the other teams in the group, Afriyie remains convinced that Ghana’s most realistic opportunity to secure an early advantage lies in their opener.
Speaking to Graphic Sports, Mr Afriyie emphatically reiterated that the Black Stars will need to kick-start their tournament on a good note by beating Panama.
“I expect us to beat Panama. The first match is very important and, among our group opponents, trust me, our best bet is against Panama,” he said.
“We all know England and Croatia are ahead of us in terms of FIFA rankings, but national team football is quite tricky,” Afriyie added.
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Ahead of the tournament, Ghana will engage in a series of high-profile international friendlies to sharpen the squad and fine-tune preparations.
The Black Stars are set to face Austria national football team and Germany national football team later this month, before further warm-up matches against Mexico national football team in May and Wales national football team on June 2.
Ghana head into the tournament eager to rewrite their recent World Cup story after disappointing group-stage eliminations at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
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With the next edition set to be staged across United States, Canada and Mexico, the four-time African champions will be hoping to produce a far stronger showing and restore belief among supporters when the global showpiece kicks off.
