Former Ghana international Laryea Kingston has urged the Ghana national football team to approach the 2026 FIFA World Cup with greater ambition, insisting the team must target progress beyond the group stage rather than simply participating.

‎The Black Stars will take part in this summer’s tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

‎Drawn in Group L, Ghana will face the Panama national football team, England national football team and the Croatia national football team in the opening round of the competition.

Kingston, who was part of Ghana’s golden generation but missed both the 2006 FIFA World Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup, said the nation’s reputation in African football demands a strong showing on the global stage.

‎“My expectations are simple. Ghana has a lot of respect in Africa, our mindset is not to just go and participate,” he told Graphic Sports.

“We are expected to go out there and do well, and I believe we will at least make it out of the group,” he added.

Ghana will open their World Cup campaign against Panama on 17 June before facing England on 23 June. Their final group match will be against Croatia on 27 June.

As part of preparations for the tournament, the Black Stars will regroup in March for friendly matches against the Austria national football team and the Germany national football team. A final warm-up match against the Mexico and Wales national football team is scheduled for May and June respectively.

The Ghana Football Association has confirmed that the squad will be based at Bryant University in the United States throughout the tournament.

‎After group-stage exits at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil and the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Ghana will be hoping to deliver a stronger performance when the competition returns to North America.