Former Ghana International Mohammed Polo has stressed that the Black Stars cannot afford to miss out on the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The four-time African champions strengthened their qualification hopes with back-to-back victories over Chad and Madagascar during the March international break in Matchdays 5 and 6 of the qualifiers.
Speaking to Joy Sports, Polo highlighted that the increased number of teams participating from Africa provides the Black Stars with a better chance to secure a spot.
The 1978 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) winner also urged the team to avoid repeating the disappointment of failing to qualify for the 2025 AFCON.
“The younger ones have to know their predecessors have left a legacy which they have to take over. They have to do everything possible; what we’ve left is so important that it has to be broken,” Polo said.
“Unfortunately, what they can only show us is that they qualified for the World Cup. This is because the slot has risen to five, and we saw what they did at the World Cup [in 2010], but it wasn’t enough. They were going to set a record of getting to the semifinals, but unfortunately, it didn’t happen. Morocco has come to make that so they still have a lot of work to do…
“This time, there are nine slots. There is no way they should miss out. They shouldn’t be missing. We don’t want to see that AFCON issue again. They have to come together as a family so that they can play for Ghana and for themselves,” he added.
The victories have lifted the Black Stars to the top of Group I with 15 points, with four matches remaining in the qualifiers.
Ghana will face Chad and Mali in the Matchday 7 and 8 fixtures in September, before finishing the qualifiers against Comoros and the Central African Republic.
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