Ghana Football Association President Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku has openly acknowledged the Black Stars’ painful struggles in 2024 but insists their response over the past year sends a powerful message of resilience, unity and belief.
The four-time African champions endured one of their darkest spells in recent history during 2024, managing just two competitive matches and failing to register a single win in the AFCON qualifying campaign, a collapse that ultimately saw Ghana miss out on the continental showpiece.
Rather than crumble under the weight of disappointment, the Black Stars mounted an emphatic comeback. In 2025, Ghana went unbeaten in six competitive fixtures, recording five victories and one draw to book their place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with authority.
Speaking in an interview on Metro TV, Okraku described the turnaround as a defining moment for the national team, calling it a clear statement of character and collective strength.
“The excitement in my heart is that in 2024 the Black Stars struggled, but in 2025 the Black Stars did not lose one competitive game, one official game. That is a big statement. It is a statement that gladdens my heart, that tells me when we stay together, when we work together, when we believe we can always reach our target,” he said.
Ghana have been handed a daunting challenge at the World Cup, drawn in Group L alongside 1966 champions England, 2018 finalists Croatia, and Panama.
As preparations intensify, the Black Stars are scheduled to regroup in March for high-profile international friendlies against Austria and Germany.
The matches are expected to provide a vital measuring stick as the technical team fine-tunes tactics and assesses squad depth ahead of the global showpiece set for June.
