Ghana’s decision to keep faith with Otto Addo has been emphatically vindicated. The Black Stars beat Comoros 1–0 in Accra to clinch qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup – and with it, Addo’s unbeaten run in the campaign now reads eight wins and one draw from nine matches.
Ghana finish top of Group I on 25 points and return to the global finals for a fifth time.
The head coach endured fierce criticism after failing to reach AFCON 2025, yet the Ghana Football Association resisted calls for change and asked him to steady the project.
That backing has paid off handsomely. Addo is now the first coach in history to qualify Ghana for two World Cups, having also guided the team to Qatar 2022.
Despite heavy pressure at the outset, the former Borussia Dortmund assistant set the tone with a gutsy 2–1 victory away to Mali before edging the Central African Republic 4–3 in Kumasi – a night lit up by a Jordan Ayew hat-trick.
Momentum built with a 5–0 dismantling of Chad in Accra, followed by a composed 3–0 success in Madagascar. A brief wobble brought a 1–1 draw with Chad, but Ghana reset quickly, defeating Mali 1–0 in Accra and thrashing CAR 5–0 away to move to the brink.
On Sunday, Mohammed Kudus struck early in the second half to down Comoros 1–0 and confirm top spot with a match to spare.
Ghana’s group story is just as decisive. The Black Stars finish on 25 points, ahead of Madagascar, while Mali and Comoros complete the top four.
Addo’s side have combined control with cutting edge: goals have come from across the front line – Antoine Semenyo, Inaki Williams and Jordan Ayew among them – while a settled defence has delivered five clean sheets in the last six outings.
Addo took charge again amid noise and second-guessing after the AFCON miss.
The GFA’s leadership maintained that the project needed calm rather than upheaval, a stance echoed by former Sports Minister Nii Lante Vanderpuye, who urged support over sack talk.
The payoff is a team that looks organised without the ball and ruthless in transition, with a clear set-piece plan and a deep bench that has answered when injuries hit.
Attention now turns to December’s World Cup draw and fine-tuning for North America 2026. The spine is in form – from goalkeeper Benjamin Asare through Salisu and Djiku to Thomas Partey, Kudus and captain Jordan Ayew – and competition for places is fierce.
Addo’s second World Cup at the helm will bring renewed expectations after Ghana’s famous 2010 quarter-final run.
The immediate task is to preserve fitness, maintain cohesion and schedule high-grade friendlies to test game-state management against elite opposition.
Ghana set out to repair belief and reach the World Cup; Addo has delivered both.
Unbeaten, efficient and improving, the Black Stars arrive at the finals with a record that suggests they are more than passengers – and a coach whose gamble on continuity has become a blueprint for progress.
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