Derek Boateng, a former midfielder for Ghana, has urged the Black Stars to begin their 2026 World Cup campaign with a decisive victory, emphasizing that a great start might set the tone for the competition.
Ghana, making their fifth World Cup appearance, will play their first match against Panama in Toronto on June 17. They will then play England in Boston on June 23 and Croatia in Philadelphia on June 27 to round off the group stage.
Boateng stressed the significance of the first game against Panama while characterizing Ghana’s group as difficult in an interview with Sporty FM.
“I feel like that’s a tough group. We all know how England plays—some of our players compete in the English league, so we know their style,” he said. “Croatia also always performs well in tournaments, and people respect them a lot; they have very good players who work hard.”
He highlighted Panama as a team not to be underestimated, pointing to the influence of their captain, who plays alongside him at San Diego.
“Here comes Panama, who we don’t know much about, and their captain plays in our team. I watch him every day in training; he is not a guy who runs a lot, but when the game starts, he has more brains than anyone on the field. He picks passes that can destroy your defenders in one move. They qualified because they play well—they are really good—and we face them in our first game,” Boateng said.
“Here comes Panama, who we don’t know much about, and their captain plays in our team. I watch him every day in training; he is not a guy who runs a lot, but when the game starts, he has more brains than anyone on the field. He picks passes that can destroy your defenders in one move. They qualified because they play well—they are really good—and we face them in our first game,” Boateng said.
After early exits in 2014 and 2022 in Brazil and Qatar, Ghana will be aiming for a deeper run in the expanded 2026 World Cup, beginning with a statement victory in Toronto.
