Carlos Queiroz confident Ghana are World Cup-ready despite limited warm-up

Black Stars head coach Carlos Queiroz has brushed aside suggestions that Ghana are underprepared for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after playing just one warm-up match before the tournament, insisting his side are ready for the challenge ahead.

Questions have been raised over Ghana's build-up after the Black Stars' only pre-World Cup friendly ended in a 1-1 draw against Wales in Cardiff earlier this month.

But speaking ahead of Wednesday's Group L opener against Panama in Toronto, the Portuguese coach said preparation cannot be judged simply by the number of friendly matches played.

"Yes, we played one game, but it was not the only game that the team played. There were other games before that we took lessons from," Queiroz said.

The veteran manager explained that his squad's readiness has been built through months of work, combining previous international fixtures with intensive training sessions.

"In terms of preparation, life is simple for us in football. One training is better than zero, two is better than one, three is better than two, and so on.

"Two games are better than one, three are better than two."

Queiroz admitted every coach would like more matches before a major tournament but stressed that circumstances often dictate the preparation schedule.

"But if you only have one game, you have to take the best of that situation. We play one game, we train more. If we play more games, we train less."

Rather than dwell on what Ghana did not have, Queiroz said his focus has been on maximizing every training session and ensuring his players are tactically and physically ready for the World Cup.

The Black Stars begin their campaign against Panama before facing England and Croatia in Group L, with Queiroz confident his players have received the preparation needed to compete despite a shorter-than-ideal programme of friendly matches.