Mohammed Kudus has delivered a rousing call to arms as Ghana edges closer to the decisive stretch of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. For the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder, anything short of a ticket to the global showpiece in the United States, Mexico, and Canada is unacceptable.
The pain of missing out on the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations still lingers, but Kudus insists that setback must fuel the Black Stars’ charge.
“Obviously, AFCON is also one of the major tournaments that the country loves and wants to participate in. Not qualifying was a big disappointment, but I think the full focus now is on the World Cup qualifiers,” he told Sports Illustrated.
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For the 25-year-old, the stakes transcend football itself. Representing Ghana, he says, is not merely about results, but about identity and pride.
“I think you represent your country like a one-time thing. That’s the one with the biggest emotion and feeling for me. It means a lot of wearing that jersey with a lot of pride,” Kudus reflected.
The equation is simple but nerve-wracking: four points from the final two games—against the Central African Republic and Comoros, would secure Ghana’s passage to the World Cup. Kudus is adamant that the squad must leave nothing to chance.
“We have to qualify at all costs. I think we are on the right path now,” he declared.
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He also cast his mind back to the Black Stars’ most glorious World Cup moment in 2010, when they came within a whisker of the semifinals in South Africa.
To Kudus, that run is both an inspiration and a challenge: “2010 we went all the way to the quarterfinals. And I believe this squad can even do more than that. But first we have to qualify, and then we can focus on the tournament itself.”
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