We are confident of qualifying for 2026 World Cup - Ghana defender Tariq Lamptey

Ghana defender Tariq Lamptey has expressed his optimism about the Black Stars' prospects of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.

The four-time African champions have boosted their qualification hopes with consecutive victories against Mali and the Central African Republic.

After starting their campaign with a win against Madagascar and a loss to Comoros, the Black Stars achieved a 2-1 victory over Mali in Bamako, followed by a thrilling 4-3 win at Baba Yara Stadium in their third and fourth matchdays.

These pivotal wins have elevated Ghana to second place in their group, level on nine points with group leaders Comoros. The Black Stars are now well-positioned to vie for the top spot and direct World Cup qualification.

In an interview, Lamptey stressed the significance of concentrating on each match and working hard to achieve their objectives.

"I think we definitely believe in ourselves to qualify for the World Cup; we have the talent, as we know. We have to focus on what the coach has to say to us, take it game by game, work as hard as possible, and hopefully the results will show. We worked hard in the week leading up to the last two games and got the results we deserved, so hopefully, we can keep pushing and qualify," Lamptey told 3Sports.

Ghana will continue their qualification campaign against Chad and Madagascar in March 2025.

Lamptey, who debuted for Ghana against Brazil in France, has made just eight appearances for the Black Stars over two years, mainly due to injuries.

The 23-year-old, born in Hillingdon, United Kingdom to Ghanaian parents, switched his allegiance to Ghana in 2022 after playing for England’s youth teams.