Assistant coach Roger De Sa hails 'special' World Cup despite Black Stars' early exit

Black Stars assistant coach Roger De Sa has reflected positively on Ghana's participation at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, describing the tournament as a memorable experience despite the team's Round of 32 elimination.

The South African tactician, who joined Otto Addo's technical team ahead of the tournament in North America, praised the organisation of the competition but admitted the extensive travel between host cities proved physically demanding for players.

Ghana began their World Cup campaign on a positive note with a narrow 1-0 victory over Panama before playing out a goalless draw against England.

The Black Stars then suffered a 2-1 defeat to Croatia in their final Group L fixture, finishing third to book a place in the knockout stage.

Their journey came to an end in the Round of 32, where they were edged 1-0 by Colombia.

Looking back on the tournament in an interview with KickOff, De Sa said every World Cup offers a unique experience and believes the 2026 edition lived up to expectations.

"You know, World Cups are always special, you go to one or two of them, and they always get better, you know. The third one is even better," he shared during an interview with KickOff.

The former South African international also commended the quality of the tournament's organisation, highlighting the venues, accommodation and fan atmosphere.

"I thought it was a fantastic tournament, very well organised. Great stadiums, great hotels, everything has been good. Good crowds, the stadiums are full,” he adds, revealing the aspect he found to be a challenge.

However, De Sa pointed to the long distances between host cities as one of the biggest challenges teams had to contend with throughout the competition.

“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," he added.

With their World Cup campaign now over, the Black Stars will turn their attention to qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

Ghana have been drawn in Group C alongside Ivory Coast, Somalia and The Gambia, with the qualification campaign scheduled to begin in September as the four-time African champions aim to secure a return to the continental showpiece.