Ghana have qualified for the 2026 Fifa World Cup after a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Comoros at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday night.
Tottenham midfielder Mohammed Kudus scored the decisive goal two minutes into the second half to send the Black Stars to their fifth World Cup finals.
Ghana become the fifth African nation to secure qualification for the expanded 48-team tournament, which will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, following Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.
The West African side topped Group I with 25 points from 10 matches, finishing six points clear of second-placed Madagascar, who lost 4-1 to Mali in Bamako.
Despite dominating possession in the opening period, Ghana struggled to create clear-cut chances as Comoros goalkeeper Adel Anzimati-Aboudou remained largely untroubled by predictable attacking play.
However, the breakthrough arrived shortly after half-time when Kudus capitalised on a goalmouth scramble. After Comoros partially cleared the danger, a low cross into the six-yard box found the midfielder, who tapped home from close range.
The victory holds particular significance given Comoros eliminated Ghana in the second round of qualifying for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations.
Ghana’s qualification represents a remarkable turnaround following their failure to reach the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations – the first time they had missed the continental tournament since 2004.
That disappointment in November 2024 led to widespread calls for coach Otto Addo to resign, but the German-born tactician retained his position and has now guided the Black Stars back to the world stage.
Ghana’s previous World Cup appearances came in 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2022. Their best performance remains the 2010 quarter-final in South Africa, where they were eliminated by Uruguay on penalties.
The remaining four African qualifying places will be determined on Monday and Tuesday, with Benin, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast and Senegal currently leading their respective groups.
