11/06/2026

SPORTS THURSDAY | JUNE 11, 2026

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2026 WORLD CUP

Black Stars late coaching switch could boost hopes

A LATE change of coach ahead of the World Cup might provide a boost to Ghana, who have turned to veteran Portuguese Carlos Queiroz after a run of poor results eroded confidence in his predecessor. German-born former Ghana international Otto Addo was coach at the last World Cup in Qatar but the country’s failure to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations at the turn of the year and comprehensive losses in their four high-profile games in November and March saw him fired in early April. Queiroz was handed the reins weeks later. It will be a fifth successive World Cup for the 73 year-old Queiroz, whose past African experience has been with South Africa and Egypt and who managed Real Madrid and was Alex Ferguson’s right-hand man at Manchester United. Queiroz had a whirlwind tour around Europe soon after his appointment to talk to key players but had little time for any in-depth preparations for their Group L encounters against Panama, England and Croatia. But his experience will likely give structure to a squad filled with individual talent but lacking in tactical discipline and defensive solidity. Manchester City’s Antoine Semenyo leads a strong attack, but Queiroz will be without the injured

continue their struggle to find an international-quality goalkeeper, which has been a problem through several major tournaments. “We are running against the wind. We are running against time. But, in my experience and my expertise, and the support of the staff and especially our players, I’m very much confident that we can do well,” said Queiroz when he took over. The Black Stars first qualified for the World Cup in 2006, long after they had won the last of their four Cup of Nations titles in what was something of an oddity given they had long been one of Africa’s strongest sides. Since then, they have missed one World Cup - in 2018. They proved competitive in their debut outing in Germany, reaching the second round, and four years later in South Africa, became the third African nation to reach the quarter-finals. They were a crossbar away from the semis, but Asamoah Gyan squandered a last-gasp extra-time penalty after a cynical handball from Luis Suarez saved Uruguay from defeat and allowed the South Americans to go on to win via a penalty shootout. Queiroz said Ghana’s football legacy means they have a chance to do well at the finals in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. “I think that this country has a huge, enormous potential. This is a country of footballers,” he said.

Jordan Ayew

Mohammed Kudus, who has become the team’s talisman and the key factor in their last two successful qualifying campaigns. Ghana also

Panama target maiden WC win under Christiansen PANAMA will play in their second World Cup

Carrasquilla and 2025 Gold Cup top scorer Ismael Diaz as he looks to realise that ambition. Panama open their World Cup campaign on June 18 (7am

the quarterfinals of the 2024 Copa America, beating the US and Bolivia in the group stage before being thrashed by eventual runners-up Colombia. When Christiansen took over Panama were 81st in the Fifa rankings but they have climbed to 33rd. That improvement has seen the Dane linked with a potential move to Europe after the World Cup. “It’s not usual to stay so many years in one place, but that’s part of soccer,” he said. “If things are going well and you feel comfortable, it’s a reason to stay. “My ideal dream is to have a good World Cup, compete as best as possible and advance from the group.” Christiansen will rely on 27 year-old Pumas midfielder Adalberto

as Central America’s only representative, aiming to raise the region’s profile and showcase recent progress under manager Thomas Christiansen. The 53-year-old Dane, appointed in July 2020 to replace Argentina’s Americo Gallego, hopes to cap his six-year tenure with an historic performance - which for Panama would mean achieving their first win in a match on the global stage. In their first-ever World Cup appearance at Russia 2018, the country finished bottom of Group G after defeats by Belgium, England and Tunisia, conceding 11 goals and scoring two. “What we’ve done in these years is compete with top national teams. We’re no longer being outplayed, we can beat them,” Christiansen said in an interview with Fifa, despite facing an uphill task against two European sides in their group. “That’s what we want against Ghana, Croatia and England: to compete and put Panama on the global map so the country can feel proud of its national team,” he added, referring to their Group L rivals. Panama last year finished runners-up to Mexico in the Concacaf Nations League, after beating the United States in the semifinals, but were knocked out of the Gold Cup in the quarterfinals by Honduras – a major upset after reaching the final two years earlier when they lost to Mexico. The Central American team also reached

Malaysian time) against Ghana in Toronto, face Croatia at the

same venue six days later and close the group stage against England in New Jersey.

Edgardo

Farina