On October 8, the Black Stars will play the Central African Republic in Morocco.

On Wednesday, October 8, 2025, Ghana’s Black Stars will play the Central African Republic in their penultimate Group I qualifier, continuing their quest for a spot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

El Jadida, Morocco’s El Abdi Stadium will host the pivotal match.

Gaining as many points as possible against the Wild Beasts will be crucial to the four-time African champions’ hopes of qualifying for a fifth World Cup.

Ghana is presently one of the group’s top contenders, but with two games remaining, there is very little room for error.

To make sure Ghana keeps up its momentum, head coach Otto Addo is anticipated to assemble a formidable team that includes both top-performing local players and European stars.

However, considering how they have upset teams in recent qualifying campaigns, the Central African Republic should not be taken lightly.

In what may end up being the group’s deciding match, the Black Stars will host Comoros at the Accra Sports Stadium on Saturday, October 11, after their match against El Jadida.

Both matches will be crucial in determining Ghana’s qualification destiny for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

On Friday, September 5, 2025, the Black Stars will resume training at the Accra Sports Stadium in anticipation of their pivotal 2026 World Cup qualifying matchup with Mali.

After Thursday’s 1-1 draw with Chad in N’Djamena, where Jordan Ayew’s goal in the 17th minute was negated by a late equalizer in the 90th minute at the Stade Olympique Marechal Idriss Deby Itno, Ghana is back home.

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Otto Addo’s team is still leading Group I with 16 points despite the loss, three points ahead of Madagascar in second place and four points ahead of Mali, who are in third place after seven matchdays in the African qualifiers.

The public and media are welcome to attend Friday’s training session, which is set to begin at 5 p.m. at the Accra Sports Stadium. The practice will provide supporters a sneak peek at the team’s preparation as they try to win as many points as possible against Mali on Monday, September 8, in what is expected to be a pivotal match in the competition for a spot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Ibrahim Sannie Daara, the former director of communications for the Ghana Football Association (GFA), feels that many Black Stars players are undeserving of playing for the team.

Daara’s comments surfaced Thursday afternoon at the Stade Olympique Maréchal Idriss Déby Itno following the senior national team’s two-point loss to Chad in the Matchday 7 games of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Ghana took an early lead thanks to Jordan Ayew, but Ecua Celestin of Chad tied the score in the closing seconds to deny the Black Stars the three points.

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Sannie Daara, who is currently a Senior Media Officer at the Confederation of African Football (CAF), criticized the team’s performance and emphasized that many of the players don’t deserve to play for the team.

“I wasn’t happy with what I saw from the Black Stars yesterday against Chad. I still maintain that a lot of the Black Stars players don’t deserve to be in the team,” he told Sporty FM.

“Ideally, a Black Stars midfield shouldn’t have some of the players currently there. We used to have Essien and others in that position,” he added.

Despite the setback in N’Djamena, Ghana maintain their position atop Group I with 16 points.

The Black Stars will now focus on a crucial Matchday 8 encounter against Mali at the Accra Sports Stadium on Monday, September 8, with kick-off set for 19:00 GMT.

Black Stars arrive safely in N’Djamena

The Ghanaian Black Stars have landed in N’Djamena, the capital of Chad, in preparation for their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matchup with the national squad.

Following two training sessions at the Accra Sports Stadium, the Stars left Ghana on Tuesday night.

The Ghanaian national team, which consists of players and the technical crew, landed safely in N’Djamena after hours of flying time. They will now check into their hotel to rest.

To complete preparations for their match against Chad on Thursday, September 4, the Black Stars, under the direction of Coach Otto Addo and his technical staff, will hold a last practice later on Wednesday afternoon.

On September 8, the team will travel back to Ghana to play Mali in a crucial match in Group I of the qualifications.

The Black Stars, who now lead their group with 15 points, want to collect all six points from the next two games in order to guarantee early qualifying to the Mundial the following year.

Ghana Black Stars to Open Camp on September 1 for International Duty

The Black Stars of Ghana will officially open camp in Accra on Monday, September 1, 2025, as preparations begin for the crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Chad and Mali.

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The team will hold its first training sessions at the Accra Sports Stadium on Monday and Tuesday before flying out to N’Djamena on Tuesday evening for their Matchday 7 clash against Chad, scheduled for Thursday, September 4, 2025.

Ghana will face Chad at the Stade Olympique Maréchal Idriss Déby Itno, a must-win encounter as the Black Stars aim to strengthen their qualification campaign. Following the away fixture, the team will return home to face Mali in another decisive qualifier on Monday, September 8, 2025, at the Accra Sports Stadium.

With World Cup qualification at stake, both fixtures are expected to be highly competitive, and the Black Stars coaching staff is anticipated to announce a strong squad for the two games. Fans across the country will be watching closely as Ghana seeks to secure vital points on the road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Kurt Okraku, president of the Ghana FA, says the Black Stars are on pace to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

Kurt E.S. Okraku, president of the Ghana Football Association, says the Black Stars are still on course to qualify for the FIFA World Cup in 2026.

The West African powerhouses have turned their attention to the 2026 World Cup qualifying tournaments, which commence in September with games against Chad and Mali, after missing out on the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

In the African qualifiers for the largest soccer tournament, which will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, Ghana has completely dominated Group I.

Okraku confirmed the Black Stars are still on course to qualify for the World Cup tournament the following year while speaking at the 31st Ordinary Congress on Tuesday.

“Though we regretfully missed out on AFCON 2025, the Black Stars remain on track for 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification in USA, Canada and Mexico” he told Congress members at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence.

The Black Stars now lead Madagascar, who are in second position, by five points. With nine points apiece, Mali and Comoros are ranked third and fourth, respectively.

After five games, Chad is in last place with no points, while the Central African Republic is in fifth place with five points.

Jordan Ayew, captain of the Black Stars, acknowledged that although Ghana wanted to win the Unity Cup, the team didn’t succeed in doing so.

The Gtech Community Stadium in London hosted a four-nation competition in which the four-time African champions competed. Ghana lost to bitter rivals Nigeria 2-1 in the semifinals to start the campaign.

The Black Stars bounced back from the early setback with a strong showing in the third-place playoff, defeating Trinidad and Tobago 4-0.

In an interview with Ghana FA media following the tournament, Ayew acknowledged the team’s strengths while expressing disappointment at not taking home the championship.

“Obviously, we needed to bounce back stronger after the loss to Nigeria. I think we didn’t start well against Nigeria, but the second half was brilliant, just that we didn’t take our chances,” Ayew said.

“We have loads of positives to pick from the two games. We wanted to win the Unity Cup, but we fell short in the first game.

“The lads played well, we created chances, scored four goals and kept a clean sheet, and that is great for us,” he added.

The Unity Cup served as part of Ghana’s preparations for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The Black Stars are set to face Chad and Mali in Matchdays 7 and 8, scheduled for September.

Before the Black Stars’ match against Trinidad and Tobago in the Unity Cup event, the legendary Ghanaian footballer Michael Essien paid them a visit.

The former Chelsea player met with the technical staff, which was headed by Stephen Appiah, the vice chairman of the management committee, and his old colleague Otto Addo. He also enjoyed the occasion with the national team’s players, the majority of whom hold him in high regard.

Despite a strong second half performance led by Caleb Yirenkyi, one of Essien’s students, the Black Stars lost their inaugural match against Nigeria on Wednesday. The 19-year-old and Essien had been coworkers at FC Nordsjaelland in Denmark.

Ghana will be hoping to salvage some pride when they face Caribbean nation Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday.

Essien enjoyed a stellar career, playing for some of the best clubs in the world including Real Madrid.

Following his retirement in 2021, the former AC Milan midfielder decided to venture into management.

Otto Addo, the coach of the Black Stars, feels that now is the perfect moment to provide players who have been on his radar for months opportunities.

Five debutants have been added to the former Ghanaian winger’s Unity Cup roster, while Mohammed Kudus, Ernest Nuamah, Antoine Semenyo, and Kamal Deen Sulemana have been left out owing to minor injuries and knocks.

Following recent victories over Chad and Madagascar that retained the nation atop the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying log, Otto Addo will captain Ghana in the Unity Cup.

“These two matches are extremely important for the team, just like the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in September. I believe this is the perfect time to closely observe the players we’ve been monitoring over the last few months’’ he told ghanafa.org.

‘’Team building is a process that takes time, and it’s not something that happens overnight. Therefore, this is a great opportunity to give some of our young players a chance to prove themselves. Our aim is to create competition within the team, which can only be achieved by providing an equal platform for all our talents to showcase their skills’’

‘’We’re looking beyond individuals, and focusing on building a strong team, that’s why I’ve decided to give many of these young players a chance to play and prove themselves, with the aim of making them a key part of my team going forward”.

”The Unity Cup comes at a crucial time for us, and we want to make the most of it. We’re excited to welcome back players who have been absent for months due to various reasons, as well as integrate new players into the team.” Otto Addo added.

Ghana will take on Nigeria at the GTech Community Stadium in West London on Wednesday, May 28, for a slot in the final on Saturday, May 31, 2025.