2026 World Cup: Black Stars' campaign was not poor, says Sports Minister Kofi Adams

Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams has defended Ghana’s performance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, insisting the Black Stars made progress despite their early exit from the tournament.

The four-time African champions made their fifth appearance at the World Cup in North America, recording one win, one draw and two defeats before being eliminated in the Round of 32.

Reflecting on Ghana’s campaign, Adams argued that the team’s progress beyond the group stage represented an improvement on previous World Cup performances.

“If you consider our recent performance from failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup hosted in Russia to our performance at the 2022 [World Cup in] Qatar where we exited at the preliminary stage, to the 2026 [World Cup] where at least we advanced from the group stage, you cannot say it was a poor showing,” the Buem MP told Citi Sports.

Ghana collected four points during the tournament, losing 2-1 to Croatia before holding England to a goalless draw. They then defeated Panama 1-0 to secure progression to the knockout stage.

However, the Black Stars’ campaign ended in the Round of 32 after a 1-0 defeat by Colombia.

Ghana failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia before suffering a group-stage exit at Qatar 2022. Their return to the tournament in 2026 therefore marked a step forward in terms of progression, although their elimination in the first knockout round ended hopes of matching their quarter-final run at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.