‎Ghana’s Minister for Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, has declared that the Ghana national football team, the Black Stars, will head to the 2026 global tournament with one clear ambition, to reach the final.

‎The FIFA World Cup 2026, to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, will mark Ghana’s fifth appearance on football’s biggest stage.

‎Drawn in Group L alongside Panama, England and Croatia, the Black Stars face a challenging route to the knockout stages. But Mr Adams insists the target goes far beyond merely progressing from the group.

‎“Our intention is to stay there until the last game. So you have to prepare,” the Buem Member of Parliament told Citi Sports.

‎“You don’t get there, and when you are doing well, before you start calling for that to happen, because once you have qualified, you have to plan ahead. I saw that some people were a bit worried, why do we have to do it? But we are going in there with the mindset that we will stay all the way to the end,” he added.

‎Ghana’s recent World Cup campaigns have ended in disappointment, with group-stage exits in 2014 and 2022. The new declaration signals a shift in tone, as officials seek to inspire belief within the squad and among supporters.

‎The Black Stars will open their campaign against Panama on 17 June, before facing England on 23 June and Croatia on 27 June.

‎Preparations are already under way. The team is set to regroup in March for international friendlies against Austria and Germany, before concluding their build-up with a fixture against Mexico in May.

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

‎For Ghana, a nation whose finest World Cup moment remains their dramatic run to the quarter-finals in 2010, the 2026 edition presents another opportunity to chase history, this time with the bold aim of reaching the final.