World Cup 2026: We’re here to compete, not spectate — Ghana captain Jordan Ayew affirms

Ghana captain Jordan Ayew has insisted the Black Stars are not at the 2026 FIFA World Cup merely to make up the numbers, stressing that the team has arrived in the United States determined to compete, perform and make the nation proud.

The global showpiece officially kicked off on Thursday, June 11, 2026, with Ghana expected to begin their campaign against Panama on June 17.

Ghana are set for their fifth World Cup appearance after securing qualification for the expanded tournament co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The West African football heavyweights have been drawn in Group L alongside European giants England, 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia and Panama.

After the Panama clash, the Black Stars will take on England and Croatia respectively.

“We know it’s going to be a difficult tournament. It won’t be easy. We have a young group, and for the past three to four years we have been building towards moments like this. Obviously, we didn’t qualify for AFCON, but we managed to qualify for the World Cup, and that was not easy either.

“Now that we are here, we are not coming as spectators. We are here to compete, to perform, to make our country proud, and to give our very best for ourselves and the people back home. I know the boys are ready, so we’ll see what happens.”

Meanwhile, the Black Stars enter the competition seeking their first qualification for the World Cup knockout stages since the memorable 2010 tournament in South Africa.

Ghana have previously competed at the World Cup in 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2022, with their best performance coming in 2010 when they reached the quarter-finals.