Ghana 2022 World Cup Preview: New Recruits Bolster Tournament’s Lowest-Ranked Team

The road to the World Cup has been anything but smooth, but the Black Stars could outperform expectations thanks to new reinforcements.

Coming into the World Cup at No. 61 in the FIFA world ranking, Ghana is the lowest-ranked nation participating in Qatar—and it’s mostly down to the tumultuous road to getting there. Ghana was eliminated during the group stage at the African Cup of Nations—its worst finish in the tournament—with a loss on the final day to AFCON debutant Comoros. After that debacle, Ghana fired manager Milovan Rajevac just four months into his tenure and brought in current coach Otto Addo.

Under Rajevac, Ghana hardly reached the African World Cup qualifying playoff—the Black Stars were tied on points and goal differential with South Africa and needed a tiebreaker of goals scored to advance. Against Nigeria, Ghana drew both legs of the playoff but advanced on a 1–1 aggregate thanks to away goals. It’s safe to say that their arrival in Qatar comes through the most tenuous route, yet Ghana earned its spot.

Under Addo, Ghana has convinced several players to swap allegiances after coming up through European youth systems (Tariq Lamptey and Iñaki Williams made their Ghana debuts over the last few months.) In Qatar, Addo will have to get the new arrivals to mesh with a few veteran core that includes Thomas Partey and André Ayew.

Group H Schedule (all times Eastern)

- Portugal, Nov. 24, 11 a.m.

- South Korea, Nov. 28, 8 a.m.

- Uruguay, Dec. 2, 10 a.m.

Coach

Otto Addo, hired in February 2022

Lamptey, right, is among the new dual national recruits that have joined Ghana ahead of the World Cup :: ANP/Imago Images

Players to Watch

Thomas Partey, midfielder

The central midfielder is the nation’s biggest talent, and everything seems to run through him for Ghana. Partey is the hub of activity for Ghana in midfield: He controls passing lanes, puts a cork in opposing attacks and organizes the team with his distribution and work rate. After cutting his teeth with Atlético Madrid, the two-time Ghana Player of the Year has excelled this season for Arsenal on its surprise run to the top of the Premier League. But he’ll have to be at the top of his game to deal with Portugal and Uruguay’s organized midfields.

André Ayew, winger

Ayew is the lone holdover from the 2010 team that made a run to the quarterfinals in South Africa. At 32 and after his 15 years with the senior national team, Ayew is now the captain and is only one cap away from becoming Ghana’s all-time appearances leader. Ayew, who now plays with Qatari side Al-Sadd, led Ghana in scoring during qualifying with three goals and scored twice during Ghana’s last World Cup appearance in 2014, including once against the United States in the group stage.

Tariq Lamptey, fullback

After featuring for the England Under-21 national team, Lamptey officially switched to Ghana and made his senior debut against Brazil in September. The 22-year-old had a breakout year last season with Brighton, making 30 Premier League appearances, and was linked to Manchester United and Arsenal for his impressive performances at right back. The fullback is known for his attacking prowess and ability to contribute on the counter, which will come in handy trying to counterattack against teams that will likely dominate possession in the group.

Issahaku is one of Ghana’s brightest young talents :: Naoki Morita/AFLOSPORT/Imago Images

Breakout Candidate

Abdul Fatawu Issahaku, winger

The 18-year-old winger has been hailed as one of the best prospects in all of Africa, drawing interest from Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen before signing with Sporting Lisbon. While Issahaku has only made five appearances for Sporting Lisbon this season, the club reportedly added a €60 million ($62 million) release clause to his contract, a clear sign of his great potential. In his last match for Ghana, a September friendly against Nicaragua, Issahaku scored his first goal for the national team—and the Black Stars will hope that there is more to come in Qatar.

World Cup History

- Fourth appearance

- Last appearance: 2014 (Group Stage)

- Best finish: Quarterfinals in 2010

Outlook and Expectations

The expectation for Ghana may be lower than for any team in the tournament, which could be freeing in a way. Since qualifying for the World Cup, the Black Stars have recruited some excellent talent, and they could very well be a perfect fit that helps the team right away. However, Ghana has only won two games from 13 in 2022 so far (not counting the African Nations Championship qualification played without its top players), including three losses to World Cup-bound teams.

The silver lining is that Ghana was given a decent draw compared to where it could have ended up as a Pot 4 team. After facing Portugal, the Black Stars will likely target the South Korea match as their best chance at three points. And then there’s the highly anticipated group finale against Uruguay, where Ghana is expected to be at its very best. It’ll come 12 years after being denied the chance at becoming the first African team to advance to a World Cup semifinal thanks to an infamous Luis Suárez handball in the final minute of extra time that prevented a goalbound shot. A missed PK and failed shootout later, Ghana’s dreams were over, but a dozen years later, the draw gods have presented the potential for revenge.

World Cup Squad

GOALKEEPERS: Lawrence Ati-Zigi (St. Gallen), Ibrahim Danlad (Asante Kotoko), Abdul Manaf Nurudeen (Eupen)

DEFENDERS: Joseph Aidoo (Celta Vigo), Daniel Amartey (Leicester), Abdul-Rahman Baba (Reading), Alexander Djiku (Strasbourg), Tariq Lamptey (Brighton), Gideon Mensah (Bordeaux), Denis Odoi (Club Brugge), Mohammed Salisu (Southampton), Alidu Seidu (Clermont)

MIDFIELDERS: André Ayew (Al Saad), Daniel Afriyie Barnieh (Hearts of Oak), Mohammed Kudus (Ajax), Daniel-Kofi Kyereh (St Pauli), Elisha Owusu (Gent), Thomas Partey (Arsenal), Salis Abdul Samed (Lens)

FORWARDS: Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace), Osman Bukari (Red Star Belgrade), Abdul Fatawu Issahaku (Sporting CP), Antoine Semenyo (Bristol City), Kamal Sowah (Club Brugge), Kamaldeen Sulemana (Rennes), Inaki Williams (Athletic Bilbao)