2026 World Cup: Honduras withdraw from friendly clash against Ghana

Ghana’s build-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup has hit an unexpected hurdle after Honduras withdrew from a planned international friendly scheduled for June 9.

The match, which was set to be played behind closed doors, was intended to serve as a final tune-up for the Black Stars ahead of the tournament in North America. It had been arranged following the collapse of an earlier proposed fixture against Jamaica.

Honduras’ late withdrawal now leaves Ghana without one of its key preparatory games, disrupting head coach Carlos Queiroz’s plans to further refine tactics and assess player fitness before the global showpiece.

Queiroz and his technical team had identified the fixture as an important step in their final phase of preparation, particularly after Ghana’s encouraging 1-1 draw against Wales at the Cardiff City Stadium earlier this week.

That performance offered useful indicators of progress, but the staff had hoped for another competitive test to sharpen the squad further.

Despite the setback, Ghana’s travel schedule remains unchanged. The Black Stars are still expected to depart for Toronto, where they will continue preparations for their opening Group L fixture against Panama on June 17 at BMO Field.

They will then face England on June 23 at Gillette Stadium before wrapping up their group-stage campaign against Croatia on June 27.

Ghana, making their fifth World Cup appearance, are aiming to progress beyond the group stage for the first time since their memorable quarter-final run in 2010.

The team exited at the group stage in both 2014 and 2022 and will be hoping to turn the page in North America.