Pulse logo
Pulse Region

‘We were lucky to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup’ - Otto Addo

Otto Addo has revealed that Ghana's senior national team, the Black Stars, were fortunate to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which was hosted in Qatar.
Black Stars at 2022 World Cup
Black Stars at 2022 World Cup

The 49-year-old coach led Ghana to the tournament after a 0-0 draw against Nigeria at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, followed by a 1-1 draw in Abuja. This allowed the Black Stars to qualify ahead of the Super Eagles on the away goals rule.

This qualification marked the Black Stars' historic return to their fourth World Cup after missing out on the 2018 tournament in Russia. Reflecting on Ghana's struggles since 2018, Otto Addo admitted that the team was lucky to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.

"But overall, if we look at the past few years, especially since not qualifying for the 2018 World Cup, we've been struggling as a country. We were lucky to qualify for 2022 under my leadership.” Addo said

However, despite this achievement, Addo’s team was unable to progress beyond the group stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Ghana lost their first match 2-3 against Portugal, and later 0-2 to Uruguay, despite a 3-2 victory over South Korea in their second match.

Ghana's qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Ghana has been drawn into Group I of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, alongside Comoros, Madagascar, Mali, the Central African Republic, and Chad. The Black Stars have won three of the four games they have played in this group so far.

The qualification structure

First Round: Teams are drawn into nine groups of six, playing home-and-away round-robin matches. The winner of each group will qualify directly for the World Cup.

Second Round: The four best-ranked runners-up across all groups will enter a play-off, with the winner advancing to the inter-confederation play-offs.

Next Article