England's World Cup opponents: Ghana in profile

Head coach: Carlos Quieroz
Last meeting: England 1-1 Ghana, 29 March 2011, International Match

England and Ghana will meet for the first time in a competitive fixture, after the African nation were drawn out from Pot 4 to join Group L.

The only previous game between the nations at men’s senior level came back in 2011 at Wembley Stadium when an Andy Carroll goal in the first half saw England take the lead.

But a stoppage-time equaliser from former Sunderland striker Asamoah Gyan, a star of the 2010 World Cup, saw the Black Stars rescue a draw from an entertaining match in front of an 80,000-strong crowd including what was the largest away following for a national team.

Ghana sealed their spot at the 2026 edition, which will be their sixth appearance at a World Cup, in October when Tottenham’s Mohammed Kudus scored the winner over Comoros in a qualifying group which also contained Madagascar, Mali, Central African Republic and Chad.

As well as Kudus, the Ghana squad also features a number of familiar faces for English fans, with Manchester City's Antoine Semenyo, Coventry’s Brandon Thomas-Asante and Leicester City pair Jordan Ayew and Abdul Fatawa all named in the squad.

Recent results

The Black Stars got off to a winning start at the FIFA World Cup 2026, beating Panama 1-0 in Toronto on the same night England were 4-2 winners over Croatia.

Caleb Yirenkyi netted a 95th minute winner to put three points on the board in Group L, tied with England who boast a superior goal difference.

Ghana also played twice in the build-up to their World Cup opener, having taken on Mexico 23 May and Wales on 2 June. The Black Stars were beaten 2-0 by the tournament co-hosts in Puebla City and drew 1-1 against Craig Bellamy's side after Yirenkyi's strike was cancelled out by an injury-time equaliser from Lewis Koumas.

Ghana's World Cup squad:

Goalkeepers: Benjamin Asare (Hearts of Oak), Lawrence Ati-Zigi (St. Gallen), Joseph Anang (St. Patrick's)

Defenders: Baba Abdul Rahman (PAOK), Gideon Mensah (Auxerre), Marvin Senaya (Auxerre), Alidu Seidu (Rennes), Abdul Mumin (Rayo Vallecano), Jerome Opoku (Basaksehir), Jonas Adjetey (Wolfsburg), Kojo Oppong Peprah (Nice), Derrick Luckassen (Pafos)

Midfielders: Elisha Owusu (Auxerre), Thomas Partey (Villarreal), Kwasi Sibo (Real Oviedo), Augustine Boakye (Saint Etienne), Caleb Yirenkyi (Nordsjaelland), Abdul Fatawu (Leicester City), Kamaldeen Sulemana (Atalanta)

Forwards: Christopher Bonsu Baah (Al Qadsiah), Ernest Nuamah (Lyon), Antoine Semenyo (Manchester City), Brandon Thomas-Asante (Coventry), Prince Adu (Viktoria Plzen), Inaki Williams (Athletic Bilbao), Jordan Ayew (Leicester City)