When Ghana booked their ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, much of the conversation revolved around their newfound ruthlessness, especially from set pieces. Behind that transformation stands Gregory De Grauwe, the Belgian tactician who has quietly turned dead-ball moments into Ghana’s most lethal weapon.
In a revealing interview with Footy-Africa, De Grauwe, who doubles as the Black Stars’ set-piece coach and chief video analyst — unpacked the tactical tweaks and collaborative mindset that powered Ghana’s qualification campaign.
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Appointed in March 2025 on the recommendation of assistant coach Desmond Ofei, De Grauwe has helped engineer a subtle but striking shift in the team’s approach. The results speak volumes: more than half of Ghana’s goals in 2025 were born from set plays.
“It depends a little bit on what the opponent was doing, so we adapted our style,” De Grauwe explained. “Sometimes, like you saw against the Central African Republic, we targeted the second zone and overloaded it with a couple of players. It depends on the opponent, and we try to bring surprises every time.”
That element of unpredictability has made Ghana a nightmare to defend. Each match brings a new variation, a new trigger, a new target zone, all carefully mapped out through hours of analysis and rehearsal.
Still, De Grauwe is quick to share the credit. He insists that Ghana’s set-piece success has been a collective achievement rather than a product of individual brilliance.
“I can’t say this one or that one because Jordan Ayew kicks them so well, Mohammed Kudus kicks them so well, they both have assists. Alexander Djiku scored, Mohammed Salisu scored, it’s everybody. The more variations we have, the more big guys we have, the harder it is to defend us,” he said.
Since arriving, the Belgian has brought structure without ego. He didn’t seek to reinvent the wheel, but rather to refine and optimize what was already there.
“I didn’t make any adjustments because I didn’t know what was done before. I just came with some ideas, talked a lot with Otto [Addo], Desmond, and the rest of the staff. We discussed what we could improve, worked hard on it, and now it’s paying off. There’s no secret concept, just hard work and the quality of the players.”
That blend of humility and innovation has paid off handsomely. Ghana wrapped up their qualifying campaign with 25 points out of 30, eight wins, one draw, and a single defeat, topping Group I and booking an automatic slot for North America. Their decisive 1–0 win over the Comoros sealed the deal and sparked jubilant celebrations in Accra and beyond.
As De Grauwe joined the team in those celebrations, his fingerprints were all over Ghana’s success, not in grand gestures, but in the fine details of movement, timing, and precision that now define the Black Stars’ set-piece play.
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The next step comes on December 5, when Ghana discover their group-stage opponents at the World Cup draw in Washington, D.C, a moment that will mark not just a return to football’s biggest stage, but a triumph of preparation, patience, and tactical evolution.
