2026 World Cup: Invite players are you comfortable with - Laryea Kingston to Otto Addo

Former Ghana international Laryea Kingston has advised Otto Addo to avoid introducing unfamiliar players into the Black Stars squad ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

With Ghana having secured qualification for the global showpiece, a number of Ghanaian-born players in the diaspora have indicated interest in switching allegiance to represent the West African nation.

In recent months, calls have intensified for England-born forwards Callum Hudson-Odoi and Eddie Nketiah to be considered for the final squad for the tournament, which will be staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer.

However, Kingston — who currently serves as head coach of Uganda’s junior national teams — believes the Black Stars technical team should rely on players they already know and trust in order to prevent unnecessary distractions.

“To avoid distractions, it will be very good to maintain players that the coach already knows rather than bring in new players so close to a major tournament,” he told Graphic Sports.

He stressed that squad selection should be based on familiarity and trust rather than sentiment.

"Fielding players that you don’t know tends to be torture because you are not sure what the player can do, and the player may also not know what you expect from him," he said.

“So it’s very tough. Yes, they are Ghanaians, but we have to look at the contributions to the qualification. It’s always good to have a group of players that you believe in, monitor their progress, ensure they are getting minutes at their clubs and hitting top form when they come into the national team,” Kingston added.

Ghana, four-time African champions, will be making their fifth appearance at the World Cup and have been drawn in Group L alongside Panama, England and Croatia.

The Black Stars will open their campaign against Panama on June 17 before facing England on June 23, and wrapping up the group stage against Croatia on June 27.

As part of their preparations, the team will regroup in March for international friendlies against Austria and Germany, before a final warm-up match against Mexico in May. Ghana will be based at Bryant University in the United States throughout the tournament.

After group-stage exits at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the Black Stars will be aiming for a stronger showing in North America.