Ghana’s Black Stars will look to strengthen their position in Group I of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers when they take on Chad at the Accra Sports Stadium on Friday.
The four-time African champions have endured a difficult run in recent months, but they remain in contention for a spot at the global showpiece, sitting third in the group with seven points from four matches.
Meanwhile, Chad, yet to register a single point, occupy the bottom spot and will be desperate to turn their fortunes around.
Match PreviewGhana return to competitive action after a frustrating end to 2024, having failed to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and suffering a 3-1 aggregate defeat to Nigeria in the African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifiers.
However, Otto Addo’s side have been more convincing in World Cup qualifying, securing wins over Madagascar, Mali, and the Central African Republic, with their only setback being a 1-0 defeat to Comoros.
Chad, on the other hand, have struggled throughout the qualifiers, losing all four of their matches while scoring just once and conceding nine goals.
Their poor form extends beyond the World Cup campaign, as they finished last in their AFCON qualifying group and recently fell to DR Congo in the CHAN playoffs. With no wins in their last 11 matches across all competitions, Les Sao face an uphill battle in Accra.
Team News: Ghana will be boosted by the return of Arsenal’s Thomas Partey, who has recovered from injury and headlines a strong 23-man squad.
Other key players include Mohammed Kudus, Inaki Williams, Jordan Ayew, and Antoine Semenyo, while Genk winger Christopher Bonsu Baah receives his first senior call-up. Chad’s squad, largely made up of domestic-based players, includes 14 players from AS PS.
Tajikistan-based goalkeeper Mbaynaissem Jourdain and Castuera midfielder Mahamat Thiam Maintah are the only foreign-based players called up.
Predicted Lineups for Ghana:
Zigi; Mensah, Dijku, Salisu, Opoku; Partey, Owusu; Semenyo, Kudus, Williams; Ayew
Predicted lineup for Chad
Jourdain; Abderamane, Felix, H Abakar, Allaramadji; Maintah, Yves, Lingar, Abderamane; Yannick, Goukoui
Given Chad’s struggles and Ghana’s superior squad depth, the Black Stars are expected to dominate proceedings in Accra.
A comfortable 3-0 victory for Ghana looks likely as they push for a return to the World Cup stage.
