Ghana became the fifth African nation to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a tense but decisive 1-0 victory over Comoros in Accra, thanks to a second-half strike from Mohammed Kudus.
The win confirmed the Black Stars’ return to the global stage and avenged recent disappointments against the Indian Ocean side, who had haunted them in previous encounters.
The result took Ghana to 25 points from their 10 Group I matches, six clear of Madagascar, whose faint hopes of topping the group were extinguished after a heavy 4-1 defeat in Mali.
Tottenham Hotspur star Kudus scored the only goal of the game, converting Thomas Partey’s precise cross just after halftime to spark celebrations across the packed Accra Sports Stadium.
This qualification marks Ghana’s fifth World Cup appearance out of the last six editions, a testament to their consistency and resilience on the continental stage.
The Black Stars join Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia as the first five African nations to book their places at the 2026 finals in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Notably, Ghana became the first sub-Saharan African country to qualify, breaking the dominance of North African teams in the early rounds of qualification.
Thee triumph serves as redemption for head coach Otto Addo, who returned to the national setup after a turbulent period for Ghanaian football. It follows the heartbreak of missing out on this year’s Africa Cup of Nations, a tournament where Comoros will ironically feature in the opening match against hosts and favorites Morocco on December 21.
Despite Ghana’s dominance on paper, the buildup to the match carried a sense of unease. Comoros had eliminated Ghana from the 2022 Nations Cup and defeated them 1-0 earlier in the World Cup qualifying campaign.
The first half offered little inspiration from the Black Stars, who despite boasting attacking talents like Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo and Leicester City’s Jordan Ayew, struggled to break down a disciplined Comorian defense.
Semenyo, prolific in the Premier League with six goals in seven games, couldn’t replicate his club form, while Ayew – Ghana’s top scorer in qualifying – found chances limited.
Comoros nearly silenced the home crowd when Benjaloud Youssouf headed wide from close range, a golden opportunity that would prove costly.
Ghana regrouped after the break, and within minutes Kudus struck, calmly slotting home from close range to give his side the crucial breakthrough. The goal, his second of the campaign, underscored his growing importance to Ghana’s attack.
As news filtered through that Mali were comfortably beating Madagascar, the tension inside the Accra Sports Stadium eased. Even before full-time, it became clear that Ghana’s ticket to North America was all but secured.
