2026 World Cup Qualifiers: Parliamentary Select Committee on Sports demands Black Stars budget ahead Chad and Mali games

The Parliamentary Select Committee on Sports has formally requested that Sports Minister Kofi Adams provide the budget for the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifying matches involving the Black Stars.

Ghana’s senior national team is set to face Chad and Mali in Matchday 7 and 8 of the qualifiers, scheduled for September.

The committee’s request follows President John Mahama’s first Nation Address in Parliament earlier this year, in which he pledged transparency regarding government spending on the Black Stars.

''Next month, the senior national team, the Black Stars, which is now a pale shadow of its former glory, will play two World Cup Qualifying matches," he said.

''I have instructed my office and the Minister for Sports and Recreation to hold the Ghana Football Association accountable to the people of Ghana as we prepare for these games. Especially regarding the budget of the GFA.

''There will be no secrecy in how much the government spends on the national teams. The budgets presented by the FA and other sports associations must be made known to the public. After all, it is the taxpayers' funds that are used to fund these activities. The reduction in government expenditure and waste reduction applies to all sectors of the economy, including the Ministry of Sports and Recreation," he added.

Despite these assurances, the budgets for the March qualifiers against Chad and Madagascar were not disclosed, even after repeated media inquiries. Following the games, Minister Adams assured that future budgets would be shared in a timely manner.

“For those of you who think that we have had every money and paid for what we must pay as far as Ghana versus Chad and Ghana versus Madagascar is concerned, no, we haven't been able to do that yet,” he explained. “We are still working on it.

“By our next game, which is in September, we'll have ample time to even publish the budget ahead of expenditure.

“We couldn’t do so for the previous match because of time constraints, but time will not be an issue now. We’ll be able to call you here, make it available to you so that you can ask relevant questions for explanation.”

With preparations for the upcoming qualifiers underway, the Select Committee has now formally written to the Sports Minister, requesting both the expenditure for the March fixtures and the budget for the September games.

Ghana will travel to Chad to play at the Stade Olympique Maréchal Idriss Déby Itno on September 4 before hosting Mali at the Accra Sports Stadium on September 8.

Currently, the four-time African champions top Group I with 15 points and will aim to sustain their strong performance in the qualifiers.

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