Legendary Black Stars former captain, Asamoah Gyan, has reacted to Ghana’s 2026 FIFA World Cup draw after being paired with Croatia, Ghana and Panama in Group L.
Asamoah Gyan, who was at the event held in Washington, noted that the Black Stars’ World Cup group is very tricky.
According to Asamoah Gyan, all the countries in the group are good and will take work to qualify.
He asserted that Ghanaians back home want the Black Stars to qualify, and they will do their best to qualify.
Speaking during the event, Asamoah Gyan stated, “I think it is a very tricky group and all four teams want to qualify. Everybody back home wants Ghana to qualify, so we will do our possible best to qualify”.
The Black Stars of Ghana will open their campaign against Panama on 17 June before meetings with England and Croatia.
Also, Otto Addo, the head coach of the Black Stars, has said he remains confident after being drawn against England, Croatia and Panama in Group L.
Speaking shortly after the draw in Washington stated, “It’s a tough group, it’s doable. There are worse groups, to be honest. I’m happy, especially for our fans on the East Coast of the USA, that they will be able to see us. Also, for this I’m very happy”.
“Especially if we have a good start against Panama, from there we can continue,” he added.
Meanwhile, England head coach Thomas Tuchel has said the Three Lions of England must be fully prepared for a demanding group challenge.
Thomas Tuchel, “Difficult group with Croatia and Ghana, two regulars in World Cups and two proud and strong nations.
Panama, I don’t know much about Panama at the moment but we will find out about it before the tournament starts, of course.”
However, England will be among the favourites to progress from group L.
In related news, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has reminded football fans ahead of the 2026 World Cup tournament in the U.S that their match-day ticket are not visas.
According to Marco Rubio, match day tickets do not guarantee football fans admission into the U.S.
He revealed that the US will prioritise visa interviews for ticket-holding fans.
Rubio noted that fans who secure priority status could get an interview date within six to eight weeks, instead of waiting many months.
The last two World Cups in Russia (2018) and Qatar (2022) saw a match ticket automatically generate a Fan ID used like a visa; the US, however, will not adopt the same system.
Speaking at the White House on Monday, Marco Rubio stated, “Your ticket is not a visa; it doesn’t guarantee admission to the US,” Rubio said. “We’re going to do the same vetting as anybody else would get. The only difference here is we’re moving them up in the queue.”
He made this known during the announcement of the new FIFA Prioritised Appointment Scheduling System (PASS).