Ghana Football Association (GFA) President Kurt Okraku has praised the Black Stars for their resilience and progress at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Ghana advanced to the second round of the tournament after a commendable group-stage campaign against some of the strongest teams in world football before their journey was ended by Colombia.
Although the Black Stars had ambitions of progressing further in the competition, Okraku believes their performance offered positive indications about the direction of the national team.
“The Black Stars demonstrated resilience and promise at the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico,” Okraku said.
“Advancing to the second round after a commendable performance against some of the world’s strongest teams before going out against Colombia.”
The GFA president acknowledged that Ghana had hoped to advance deeper into the tournament but maintained that the team’s overall showing provided reasons for optimism.
“Although we had hopes of progressing further, the tournament provided encouraging signs that the team is moving in the right direction,” he added.
Okraku also highlighted Ghana’s improvement in the FIFA rankings during the tournament, pointing to the team’s rise from the lowest-ranked side heading into the competition to 24th at the conclusion of the World Cup.
“From being the least-ranked team before the start of the tournament to the 24th-ranked team at the end speaks volumes of the promise in this team,” he said.
The comments reflect the GFA’s belief that the Black Stars’ World Cup campaign can serve as a foundation for further development as Ghana looks to build a stronger and more competitive national team.
