2026 World Cup: We will show our readiness against Wales, says Black Stars defender Gideon Mensah
Black Stars defender Gideon Mensah says Ghana’s upcoming international friendly against Wales will be a key test of the team’s readiness ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The senior national team has opened camp in Cardiff as part of its final phase of preparations for the global tournament, which will be staged in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Ghana will take on Wales on June 2 before another preparatory fixture against Jamaica, with the matches expected to offer coach Carlos Queiroz a clearer picture of his squad ahead of the competition.
Mensah, who operates as a left-back for French side AJ Auxerre, stressed the importance of using the games to measure the team’s competitiveness at the highest level.
“The expectation is very clear for me as a player, and then we as a team, we are working towards a very crucial tournament for us, for the country and for ourselves as players,” he said on the Ghana FA website.
“So, I mean, we are expecting that we go into the game, show to the Ghanaians and show to ourselves that we are ready to go and compete with whoever comes against us in the World Cup,” he added.
Head coach Carlos Queiroz is expected to announce his final 26-man squad ahead of the Wales fixture.
At the World Cup, Ghana have been drawn in Group L alongside Panama, England and Croatia. The Black Stars will begin their campaign against Panama on June 17 at BMO Field, before facing England at Gillette Stadium on June 23 and concluding the group stage against Croatia at Lincoln Financial Field on June 27.
After back-to-back group-stage exits in 2014 and 2022, Ghana will be aiming to reach the knockout stage for the first time in over a decade.