The Black Stars will be making their fourth appearance at the FIFA World Cup looking to make it to the knockout out stages for a third time.
Ghana, returning to the competition after missing out from the last edition, has experienced a topsy-turvy build-up to Qatar 2022 after an early 2021 Africa Cup of Nations exit.
Knocked out in AFCON group stages for the first time since 2006, Ghana bowed out of the tournament with one of their worst displays in the African showpiece.
The habitual underdogs with a penchant for punching above their weight will again face an uphill battle at the Football World Cup 2022 in Qatar going up against Portugal, Uruguay and South Korea in Group H.
Otto Addo guided the team to their fourth World Cup becoming the first man to coach and play for Ghana at the global showpiece.
The Black Stars booked their place in Qatar via the away goals rule after their qualification playoff matches against Nigeria ended in a goalless draw at home and a 1-1 stalemate in Abuja.
Top players
Ghana will go into battle with seasoned campaigner and captain André Ayew leading the charge in Qatar.
Ayew, the son of Ghanaian legend Abedi Pele, is on the cusp of becoming the most capped Black Stars player. He recently equalled the record of 109 appearances held by former captain Asamoah Gyan.
The 32-year-old Ayew has been a mainstay of the Ghanaian team since making his World Cup debut in South Africa in 2010. He was named the second-best young player in that tournament and also made an impact for Ghana four years later in Brazil in 2014.
His brother, Jordan Ayew and Leicester City’s Daniel Amartey are expected to add more experience at the showpiece.
The battle-hardened trio is complemented by rising stars Mohammed Kudus and Issahaku Fatawu, who have already made their mark on the international stage for Ghana.
The 22-year-old Kudus already has nearly 20 international caps, while the 18-year-old Fatawu has represented Ghana more than a dozen times.
GHANA’S WORLD CUP HISTORY
Ghana have qualified for four FIFA World Cup tournaments; 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2022.
In 2006 they were the only African side to advance to the Second Round of 2006 FIFA World Cup and were the sixth nation in a row from Africa to progress beyond the group stages of the World Cup. Ghana had the youngest team in the FIFA World Cup 2006 with an average age of 23 years and 352 days, and were praised for their improving performance. FIFA ranked Ghana 13th out of the 32 countries who competed in the tournament.
In the 2010 World Cup, Ghana progressed beyond the group stages, and reached the quarter-finals where they were eliminated by Uruguay. Ghana was defeated by Uruguay on penalties after Luis Suárez controversially handballed on the goal line deep into extra time, denying Ghana an almost certain winning goal. Had Ghana won their quarter final, they would have become the first African nation to progress to the semi finals of the world cup. Of the 32 countries that participated in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, FIFA ranked Ghana 7th.
In the 2014 World Cup, Ghana was eliminated during the group stages.
Ghana at World Cup 2022: Schedule (Local time)
Group H
Thursday, November 24:
16:00 – Portugal v Ghana (Stadium 974)
Monday, November 28:
13:00 – South Korea v Ghana (Education City Stadium)
Friday, December 2:
15:00 – Ghana v Uruguay (Al Janoub Stadium)
