2026 World Cup: Ghana to face Colombia in Round of 32 after narrow defeat to Croatia
The Black Stars of Ghana will meet Colombia in the Round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, setting up a high-stakes knockout encounter after a narrow 2-1 defeat to Croatia in their final Group L fixture on Saturday night.
Despite the loss, Ghana had already secured qualification for the knockout stage, ensuring their place in the next round remained intact.
Croatia, finalists of the 2018 World Cup, struck first through Petar Sučić, who opened the scoring in the 31st minute to give the Europeans a 1-0 lead at halftime.
After the break, Ghana responded with greater urgency and were eventually rewarded when Derrick Luckassen, making his international debut, pulled the Black Stars level in the 73rd minute with a composed finish.
However, the game slipped away late on as Nikola Vlašić restored Croatia’s advantage in the 83rd minute, heading in from a corner to seal victory.
Elsewhere in the group, results confirmed Ghana’s progression to the Round of 32, where they will now face Colombia, who topped Group K with seven points.
Croatia, meanwhile, are set to take on Portugal, who finished second in their group with five points.
Ghana’s knockout tie against Colombia is scheduled for the Kansas City Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday, July 3, with kick-off at 01:30 GMT.
The qualification marks another milestone for the Black Stars, who have now matched their best World Cup finish since reaching the knockout stage in 2010 in South Africa.