The president of the Ghana Football Association, Kurt Okraku, has said mercenaries and players who rejected playing for the Black Stars should count themselves out of Ghana’s team for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
According to the GFA president, the Black Stars only need committed and passionate players ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Speaking in an interview with 3 sports, Kurt Okraku stated, “Players who have not shown enough commitment to the Ghanaian flag will not be part of us. There must be a good reason why a player is included in the travelling party. I want players who display high levels of dedication, passion, and respect for Ghana.”
“As a leader, I don’t really care what anybody says. At the end of the day, the responsibility lies with me, and I am accountable for Ghana.”
He added, “If we have approached you before and you turned us down, if you’ve shown a lack of respect or declined to play for Ghana in the past, count yourself out. It’s not going to happen”.
His comments come following reports of Eddie Nketiah, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and Francis Amuzu wanting to play for the Black Stars at the World Cup after years of rejecting Ghana.
Meanwhile, Saddick Adams, a veteran sports journalist, has revealed that Eddie Nketiah, an English player of Ghanaian descent, is open to playing for the Black Stars.
According to Saddick Adams, Eddie Nketiah had, some years ago, rejected Ghana’s approach when officials from the Ghana Football Association (GFA) approached him.
The Angel FM presenter added that the Crystal Palace striker now feels mature and is ready to play for the national team if given a call-up.
Saddick Adams, in a post on X, wrote, “Spoke to Eddie Nketiah’s family this weekend to get clarity on the stories about his switch.
The source admitted that Eddie Nketiah had previously spoken to the Ghana coach and some GFA top officials, but he had not settled at his club yet, so he couldn’t make a decision”.
He added, “However, Nketiah is now settled and at 26, mature enough and ready to ‘give his very best’ if Ghana calls now.
Says he has Ghana blood running through him, so his “identity is unquestionable”.
Basically, he’s open to playing for Ghana now”.
The Black Stars, on 12 October 2025, officially qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after finishing the qualifiers as leaders in their Group.
Ghana defeated Comoros 1-0 at the Accra Sports Stadium, with Mohammed Kudus scoring the only goal in the game.
After 10 games in group I, the Black Stars topped the table with 25 points, Madagascar second with 19 points, Mali third with 18 points, Comoros 15, Central African Republic 8 and Chad in sixth place with 1.
Ghana joined the list of qualified countries on the African continent, with Coach Otto Addo now becoming the first Black Stars coach to reach two consecutive FIFA World Cup tournaments.