Black Stars: We must persuade Carlos Queiroz to stay - President Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has called on Ghanaian football authorities to make every effort to convince Carlos Queiroz to remain as head coach of the Black Stars.

The 73-year-old Portuguese tactician was appointed on a short-term contract in April following the dismissal of Otto Addo after a disappointing run of results. His mandate was to guide Ghana through the 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign in North America.

Under Queiroz, the Black Stars reached the knockout stage of the World Cup for the first time since 2010, marking a significant improvement after Ghana failed to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Speaking on Friday during an inspection tour of the Ho Sports Stadium, President Mahama stressed the importance of maintaining continuity and building on the progress made under the experienced coach.

The President believes Queiroz has established a strong foundation capable of helping Ghana compete for major international honours and warned against disrupting the team’s development ahead of future qualification campaigns.

Mahama said retaining the former Portugal and Iran coach could be crucial to Ghana’s ambitions of ending a long wait for silverware.

"I'm sure that if we keep this team, and we persuade the coach Carlos Queiroz to continue to work with the team, by the time of the next AFCON and the next World Cup, we'll have a team that can claim the championship in either of those two competitions," Mahama stated.

Ghana began their World Cup campaign with a narrow 1-0 win over Panama before holding England to a goalless draw, securing their first point against the Three Lions at the global tournament.

The Black Stars advanced to the knockout phase but suffered a 2-1 defeat to Croatia in their final group match before their journey ended with a 1-0 loss to Colombia in the Round of 32.

With the World Cup now behind them, Ghana’s focus has shifted to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, where they have been drawn in Group C alongside Côte d’Ivoire, Somalia and The Gambia.

The qualifying campaign is scheduled to begin in September, as Ghana seeks to return to the continental showpiece after missing out on the 2025 edition.