Ghana avoided facing North African teams in the World Cup 2026 qualifiers following the recent draw.
The qualifiers, set to begin in November 2023, will see Ghana competing against Mali, a team that have never qualified for the World Cup before. The group also consists of Madagascar, Central African Republic, Comoros, and Chad.
Ghana, a four-time African champion, will see this as an opportunity to secure victories and progress towards automatic qualification for the World Cup 2026.
Chris Hughton’s side are already familiar with facing Madagascar and Central African Republic, having encountered them in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Furthermore, the Black Stars will be eager to seek redemption against Comoros, who surprised them with a 3-2 defeat in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations held in Cameroon.
In the World Cup 2026 qualifiers, the winners of each group will secure automatic qualification for the tournament. However, even if Ghana do not finish as group winners, they still have a chance to qualify.
The four best runners-up from the groups will participate in a CAF Play-Off tournament, where the ultimate winner will advance to the FIFA Play-Off tournament.D
