There’s still time for the Black Stars to improve before World cup — Adu Sarpei
2nd April 2026
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Former Black Stars defender Hans Adu Sarpei believes Ghana can still fine-tune its performance ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, despite a difficult run of results in recent weeks.
Ghana suffered back-to-back defeats during the March international window, losing 5-1 to Austria national football team before a narrower 2-1 defeat to Germany national football team.
While the results raised concerns, Sarpei pointed to signs of improvement, particularly in the performance against Germany.
“Germany are a very good team, so losing 2–1 is not necessarily a bad result,” he told Joy Sports. “However, when you are level going into the final minute, you need to fight to at least secure that one point.”
The former defender acknowledged that Ghana’s late collapse against Germany was disappointing but insisted the overall response after the heavy defeat to Austria offered encouragement.
“After the 5–1 defeat to Austria, the response we showed against Germany was encouraging. We played much better, but there is still room for improvement,” he added.
The results ultimately led to the dismissal of head coach Otto Addo, leaving the team without a manager with just over two months to the start of the World Cup.
The Ghana Football Association, led by Kurt Okraku, has indicated that a new head coach will be appointed within the next two weeks as preparations intensify.
With limited time remaining, Sarpei’s assessment reflects cautious optimism, that while the challenges are clear, Ghana still has an opportunity to regroup and sharpen its edge before the global stage.