Ghana will begin their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign against Panama in Toronto on Wednesday night looking to improve a record that has troubled the Black Stars throughout their history at football’s biggest tournament.
The Black Stars have won just one of their four opening matches at the FIFA World Cup since making their debut in Germany in 2006. Their only victory came at the 2010 tournament in South Africa when Asamoah Gyan’s penalty secured a 1-0 win over Serbia.
Ghana’s World Cup journey started with a 2-0 defeat to eventual champions Italy in 2006 before progressing to the Round of 16. Four years later, the victory over Serbia helped launch a memorable run to the quarter-finals, still the nation’s best performance at the tournament.
Since then, opening matches have brought disappointment. The Black Stars suffered a 2-1 loss to the United States in Brazil in 2014 before falling 3-2 to Portugal in their opening fixture at Qatar 2022.
Across those four opening games, Ghana have scored five goals and conceded seven. They have also managed just one clean sheet, which came against Serbia in 2010.
The challenge facing Carlos Queiroz’s side appears even greater this time around. Ghana enter the tournament on a difficult run of form and will be without influential midfielder Thomas Partey for the clash in Canada after he was denied entry into the country. The Black Stars are also missing key defender Alexander Djiku and attacking star Mohammed Kudus through injury.
Despite those setbacks, history offers some encouragement. Ghana have reached the knockout stage in two of their four previous World Cup appearances and remain one of Africa’s most experienced sides on the global stage. This year’s tournament marks their fifth World Cup appearance overall.
With Panama standing in their way, the Black Stars will be aiming to start a World Cup campaign with victory for only the second time and take an important step towards qualification from Group L.
By Mandela Yaw Anuvabe
