Former Ghana winger Mohammed Polo has stated that the Black Stars must not fail to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, especially with the increased number of slots available for African teams.
Polo emphasized that the expansion of African representation at the tournament provides Ghana with a greater opportunity to secure qualification.
He urged the players to avoid a repeat of their recent disappointment, where they failed to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in over two decades.
The Hearts of Oak great highlighted Ghana’s near-historic achievement at the 2010 World Cup, where they were on the brink of reaching the semifinals before being eliminated by Uruguay.
He noted that Morocco has since surpassed that feat, becoming the first African nation to reach the last four in 2022, and insisted that Ghana still has more work to do.
“This time, there are nine slots. There is no way they have to miss out,” Polo told Joy Sports. “They shouldn’t be missing. We don’t want to see that AFCON issue again.”
Ghana strengthened their qualification hopes during the last international break with back-to-back victories over Chad and Madagascar.
These wins propelled the Black Stars to the top of their group with 15 points, three ahead of second-placed Comoros, with four matches remaining.
