Former Black Stars defender, John Paintsil has described Ghana's group for the qualification to 2026 FIFA World Cup as tricky but believes is not a difficult one.
The draw was officially held last Thursday in Cote d'Ivoire's city of Abidjan, and Ghana have to win the group since that's the only means to secure automatic spot at the next Mundial, three years from now.
The four time African conquerors have been put in Group I alongside Mali, Madagascar, Central African Republic, Comoros and Chad.
Paintsil, who made over 80 appearances for the Black Stars and featured in two World Cups (2006 & 2010), said Mali will be a pain in the neck for Ghana but still feels it won't be really tough and will sail through with the right preparations towards the qualifiers.
Winners of each Group will automatically qualify for the FIFA World Cup™ 2026.
The four best runners-up (from the Groups) will play in a CAF Play-Off tournament. The winner of the CAF Play-Off Tournament will play in the FIFA Play-off Tournament.
The qualifiers are scheduled to start in November this year, with Match Day One and Two scheduled for between 13-21 November, while the third and fourth match days are scheduled for June 2024.
The last match day will be in the week of October 6-14 while the Continental play-off will be staged between 10-18 November 2025 at a venue to be communicated later.
