With Thomas Partey officially barred from entering Canada and Jordan Ayew named captain, Carlos Queiroz leads Ghana into their Group L opener against Panama in Toronto
Ghana begin their fifth World Cup campaign on Wednesday against Panama at BMO Field in Toronto, but the Black Stars will have to navigate the tournament without vice-captain Thomas Partey after a Canadian court dismissed his emergency visa appeal.
The legal battle ended in heartbreak for the technical team on Tuesday when a Canadian court ruled Partey inadmissible due to ongoing legal proceedings in the United Kingdom. The midfielder will be strictly barred from entering Canada and is completely out of the Panama opener, leaving Kwasi Sibo and Elisha Owusu to anchor the midfield.
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Veteran Portuguese tactician Carlos Queiroz, officially leading the Black Stars as head coach for the 2026 tournament, will make history as just the third manager to coach at five separate World Cups. At 73 years old, the legendary defensive mastermind faces the challenge of guiding Ghana out of a Group L that also features England and Croatia.
With André Ayew absent from the final tournament roster, veteran forward Jordan Ayew has officially been named Black Stars captain for the 2026 World Cup campaign. He will lead the team walk-out at BMO Field in Toronto and carries the attacking burden alongside Antoine Semenyo, with Mohammed Kudus missing the tournament through injury.
Ghana have not won any of their last six matches, with only a 1-1 draw against Wales stopping a run of five consecutive defeats. Despite this, the Black Stars topped their CAF qualifying group with eight wins from ten matches.
High-profile national leaders have stepped in to boost squad morale. Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang visited the team hotel in Toronto on Tuesday, delivering a message of solidarity on behalf of President John Dramani Mahama. Concurrently, the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Dr. Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu, issued a national directive ordering all regional and district Imams across Ghana to hold special prayers for the team.
Panama arrive on the back of an unbeaten qualifying campaign and have climbed to 34th in the FIFA rankings, nearly 40 places above Ghana. The two nations have never met in international football. Ghana have won two of three previous World Cup matches against CONCACAF teams, all against the United States.
According to the Opta Supercomputer, Panama are favoured to win with a 45.2% win probability compared to Ghana’s 29.6%. Ghana have won only one of their last seven World Cup matches and have conceded at least twice in each of the last six
Source: Accra Street Journal
Last Updated on June 17, 2026 by Samuel Kwame Boadu
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