Only five of 31 World Cup raffle winners secured US visas – Kofi Adams

Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams has revealed that only five of the 31 winners of a second raffle organised to facilitate travel to the 2026 FIFA World Cup secured visas to the United States.

He says the government is working on a compensation package for the remaining winners who were unable to travel.

Speaking to the media in Parliament on the controversy surrounding the World Cup fundraising and visa arrangements on Thursday, November 5, Mr Adams explained that an initial group of seven to 10 raffle winners had their travel documents processed following a meeting with the organisers.

According to the Buem MP, the group received refunds but was subsequently asked to resubmit the money to Rambell to continue with the original travel arrangements.

However, almost all of them declined the request and opted to keep their refunds.

Mr Adams further disclosed that a second raffle, organised by Mpuntu, produced 31 winners. Although travel documents were processed for all 31 participants, only five were successful in securing US visas.

He insisted that the funds raised through the second raffle remained untouched and were being held by the fundraising committee to compensate those who could not travel.

“Every pesewa of the raffle that was run by Mpuntu has not been touched. That money has not been touched. The fundraising committee is still holding on to those funds to make sure that everybody is appropriately compensated,” he said.

The minister also rejected allegations by the NPP Minority in Parliament regarding the use of foreign telephone numbers in the fundraising exercise, describing the claims as false.

“If the NPP Minority in Parliament is running a story and talking about foreign numbers and what have you, that’s a complete lie,” he added.

The revelations come amid growing public scrutiny of the fundraising arrangements, visa facilitation process and the involvement of private entities in Ghana's travel plans for the 2026 World Cup.