Former Executive Council member of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kweku Eyiah, has warned that failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup would be a major setback for the Black Stars.
His concerns come in the wake of Ghana’s failure to secure a spot at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON)—the first time in 20 years that the senior national team has missed the tournament.
In an effort to strengthen the technical department ahead of the World Cup qualifiers, the GFA has appointed experienced German coach Winfried Schäfer as the Black Stars’ technical advisor and the GFA’s technical director.
Currently, Ghana sits second in Group I with 9 points after four matches, trailing leaders Comoros in the race for a spot at the global tournament, which will be hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico next year.
With pressure mounting following the AFCON disappointment, Eyiah remains optimistic about the team’s chances but stresses that qualification will demand hard work.
“There have been some changes in the technical department. But what begs the question is, if we are seeking to make changes, is that the core of our problem? or the problem is with the head coach? It is the coach who makes the final decision and so changing backroom staff does not change much,” he told Asempa FM.
“In their wisdom, they know best and so we should support them. Because failure to qualify for the World Cup will be disastrous and Ghanaians will not forgive them (GFA). A lot of Ghanaians want to travel to the USA, Canada especially and so we should not disappoint them,” he added.
Ghana’s next challenge in the qualifiers comes in March when they face Chad and Madagascar.
As part of the revamped technical team, Desmond Ofei has joined the staff, while John Paintsil and Fatau Dauda will continue in their roles as second assistant coach and goalkeepers’ trainer, respectively. Additionally, Kris Perquy has been appointed as the team’s psychologist, and Gregory De Grauwe will serve as the video analyst.