Black Stars head coach, Otto Addo, has made the decision to exclude the injured Joseph Paintsil from his squad for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Mali and the Central African Republic.
Revealing the squad at the GFA secretariat, Addo emphasized the importance of preparation for these crucial games.
Despite Joseph Paintsil's impressive performance at LA Galaxy, where he has scored four goals and provided six assists in 13 games, he will be absent from the squad due to injury. This was confirmed by the GFA director of communications during the press conference.
The Black Stars will face Mali on Thursday, June 6, 2024, at the Stade du 26 Mars in Bamako for the third round of qualifying for the Canada and USA World Cup.
Following this, they will return to Ghana to play against the Central African Republic at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium for the fourth-round match.
Ghana began its qualifying campaign with a narrow 1-0 victory over Madagascar in Kumasi, but they suffered a similar defeat to Comoros in the second group game. Currently, Ghana sits in fourth place in Group I with three points, trailing leaders Comoros by three points.
Ghana coach Otto Addo has addressed the exclusion of captain Andre Ayew from the Black Stars squad for the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifying matches. Despite a decent season with La Havre in the French Ligue 1, the 34-year-old has not made Otto Addo’s 26-man squad for the crucial games next month.
In response to Ayew's omission, Otto Addo remarked, “The door is always open for Andre Ayew because we don't know what will happen tomorrow. Never say never.”
Ghana will kick off their training camp on Thursday at the University of Ghana Stadium in Legon. The Black Stars will then face Mali on June 6 at Stade 26 Mars in Bamako before hosting Central Africa Republic at the Baba Yara Stadium on June 10.
The West African powerhouse aims to secure maximum points in both matches after a shaky start to the qualifiers last year. The Black Stars began with a 1-0 win over Madagascar but then suffered a narrow defeat to Comoros. Currently, Ghana sits in 4th place in Group I ahead of the third and fourth games.
Andre Ayew, who joined Le Havre in November 2023, played a significant role in helping the club avoid relegation. The 34-year-old Ghana forward scored five goals in 19 Ligue 1 games, emerging as the highest-scoring Ghanaian in the top-flight for the season. In all competitions, Ayew scored six goals in 20 games for Le Havre.
Black Stars head coach Otto Addo has shared the excitement to return to his country and also to the Black Stars despite admitting it wasn't easy to leave Borussia Dortmund for this job.
Despite Andre Ayew's stellar performance for Le Havre in the French Ligue 1, the veteran forward will not feature in Ghana's upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Mali and the Central African Republic.
Black Stars deputy captain, Thomas Partey has returned in the Black Stars squad after some months out and is set to captain the team against Mali and Central African Republic, in the absence of main skipper Andre Ayew
Ghana coach Otto Addo has announced a 26-man squad list for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Mali and Central African Republic in June.
