Former Ghana national football team midfielder Michael Essien has advised the Black Stars to stay focused and approach the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup one game at a time.
Ghana will be making their fifth appearance at the global tournament and have been placed in Group L alongside the Panama national football team, England national football team and the Croatia national football team.
Essien acknowledges difficult group
Speaking in an interview with FIFA, Essien admitted that Ghana face a challenging group but believes the team should not be intimidated by the opposition.
The former midfielder stressed that major tournaments often produce surprises and that success depends on how teams approach each match.
Focus on one game at a time
Essien, who represented Ghana at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany and the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, encouraged the players to remain calm and concentrate on winning their matches step by step.
According to him, the team must simply focus on performing well in each game and continue progressing through the tournament.
Ghana’s World Cup schedule
The Black Stars will begin their World Cup campaign against Panama on June 17.
They will then face England on June 23 before wrapping up their group stage matches against Croatia on June 27.
Essien believes that if the team stays focused and maintains the right mentality, they can produce positive results in the tournament.
