Infantino hails Ghana as fifth African team to qualify for 2026 World Cup
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has congratulated Ghana for qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, praising the Black Stars for bringing “colour, style and passion” back to football’s biggest stage.
Ghana sealed their place at next year’s global showpiece — to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico — with a 1–0 victory over Comoros on Sunday night at the Accra Sports Stadium.
The result confirmed the Black Stars as Group I winners with 25 points, ensuring their fifth appearance at the World Cup.
Congratulatory message
In a congratulatory message shared via video, Infantino applauded Ghana’s achievement and looked forward to their participation in what he described as “the greatest FIFA World Cup ever.”
“Congratulations to the Black Stars on reaching the FIFA World Cup for the fifth time in history. Your fans will bring colours, style and passion to the greatest FIFA World Cup ever in 2026 in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
“We expect that your team will establish more global stars to follow in the footsteps of the famous team that made the quarterfinals of the tournament in South Africa in 2010, but for now, enjoy this special moment, and we cannot wait to see who the Black Stars will face when we have the final tournament draw on the 5th of December.
“See you very soon and well. Congratulations!”
The Black Stars, led by coach Otto Addo, entered the match needing only a point to guarantee qualification but left no doubt as Tottenham Hotspur forward Mohammed Kudus struck decisively in the 47th minute to secure all three points.
The victory extended Ghana’s remarkable home record — 25 years unbeaten in World Cup qualifiers — and sparked jubilant celebrations in Accra as fans celebrated the team’s return to the world stage.
Having failed to progress beyond the group stage at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Addo’s side will now aim to surpass that showing and possibly emulate the iconic 2010 team that reached the quarterfinals in South Africa.
Ghana, who previously featured in the 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2022 tournaments, now joins Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia as the first five African nations to qualify for the 2026 edition.
In Group I’s other fixtures, Mali thrashed Madagascar 4–1 in Bamako, with Lassine Sinayoko netting twice, while the Central African Republic edged Chad 3–2 in a thrilling contest in N’Djamena.
Other matches
Elsewhere, Egypt wrapped up their campaign with a narrow 1–0 victory over Guinea-Bissau in Cairo, courtesy of Mohamed Hamdy’s early header. The Pharaohs had already secured qualification and finished their qualifiers with eight wins from ten matches.
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Sierra Leone came from behind to beat Djibouti 2–1, thanks to goals from Juma Bah and Sallieu Tarawallie, while Burkina Faso rounded off their Group A campaign in style with a 3–1 win over Ethiopia. Substitute Pierre Landry Kaboré was the star performer, coming off the bench to score a stunning second-half hat-trick.
The draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is scheduled for 5 December, where Ghana and the other teams that pull through will learn their group-stage opponents ahead of the expanded 48-team tournament.