2026 World Cup Qualifiers: Samuel Inkoom predicts a tough campaign for Black Stars

Former Black Stars defender, Samuel Inkoom has predicted a tough qualifying campaign for Ghana in the upcoming 2026 World Cup.

Following the draw held in Abidjan on Thursday, Ghana have been housed in Group I alongside Madagascar, Mali, Chad, Comoros and the Central African Republic (CAR).

Teams that will top their group will automatically qualify for the Mundial which will be hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

While Ghana appears to be the only team in the group to have played at the World Cup, it still remains a dicey group for the five-time African Champions according to connoisseurs of the game.

Inkoom who played for Ghana in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa in which Ghana reached the quarter-finals has advised the team not to underestimate any of their opponents.

“I think to be honest, someone will just say this [a] group Ghana can qualify [from] without any stress, but I have to be honest with you, football has evolved in such a way that you can’t even predict who will qualify out of the group," the Hearts of Oak defender told Citi Sports.

“You just have to prepare and prepare adequately towards these kinds of group opponents. The group winner qualifies for the World Cup, and I know it is not going to be easy.

“I will not say Mali is the biggest opponent, because we have to respect everybody in the group. I played against Mali and they had a very strong team [back then]. They are still a difficult side to play against.

“They have good players playing in Europe, it is not going to be easy for Ghana," he added.

Ghana have met all their opponents in competitive matches except Chad with the Black Stars recording mixed results against Mali, Madagascar, CAR and Comoros.

The last time Ghana played against Mali was in a friendly match in which Mali beat Ghana 3-0 in 2020. Meanwhile, Ghana recorded a win and a draw against Madagascar in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers. They also drew against CAR in their second match of the AFCON qualifiers and will know their fate for the tournament when they welcome the same opponents before the World Cup qualifiers.

They also lost 3-2 to Comoros in the last edition of the AFCON, an outcome which denied Ghana a place in the knockout stage for the first time in many years.

Ghana will be hoping to secure their fifth World Cup appearance after playing in 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2022 in Germany, South Africa, Brazil and Qatar respectively.