2026 World Cup: Multiple travels reason for Black Stars' elimination, says assistant coach Roger De Sa

Black Stars assistant coach Roger De Sa has attributed Ghana's early exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup to the demanding travel schedule the team endured throughout the tournament.

Ghana began their campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Panama in Toronto before travelling to Boston for their second Group D fixture against England.

The Black Stars then made another trip to Philadelphia, where they concluded the group stage with a 2-1 defeat to Croatia.

Despite progressing to the Round of 32, Ghana's World Cup journey came to an end in Kansas City after a narrow 1-0 loss to Colombia.

Looking back on the tournament, the South African coach praised the organisation of the competition but admitted the extensive travel between host cities posed a significant challenge for the players.

“You know World Cups are always special; you go to one or two of them, and they always get better, you know," De Sa told 947's MSW.

“I thought it was a fantastic tournament, very well organised. Great stadiums, great hotels, everything has been good. Good crowds, the stadiums are full.

“If there was one difficulty, I think it was the travel. The cities were quite distant sometimes, in different time zones. So, that does have an effect on all the teams. The travel is a bit taxing on the players,” De Sa added.

With the World Cup behind them, the Black Stars will now shift their focus to qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

Ghana has been drawn in Group C alongside Ivory Coast, Somalia and The Gambia, with the qualifying campaign set to begin in September.