Ofori expresses Ghana’s World Cup wish again

South Africa’s AmaZulu FC goalkeeper Richard Ofori has once again refused to give up on his dream of sneaking into Ghana national team’s squad for 2026 FIFA World Cup finals.

The Black Stars coach Otto Addo has been discarding the South Africa-based custodian. The coach has of late been selecting Lawrence Zigi from Swiss side St Gallen, Joseph Anang (St Patrick’s Athletic, Ireland) and Benjamin Asare of Accra Hearts of Oak.

The trio made the final squad that faced the Central African Republic (CAR) and Comoros to complete the qualification race to the World Cup in October.

Addo’s men beat CAR 5-0 then edged the islanders 1-0 to book the flight to the World Cup finals which America, Mexico and Canada will host. The Black Stars qualified for the World Cup for the fifth time after topping Group I.

Nonetheless, Ofori, who missed the 2022 World Cup due to an injury, is still clinging to hope of making the squad for the forthcoming tournament. He has 33 caps.

“Every player dreams of playing at the World Cup. It’s a great achievement for the country to qualify for the fifth time. When I was at home watching the qualifiers, I couldn’t sit still, it was so tense,” Ofori told AmaZulu FC’s media.

“I must congratulate Ghana and the Black Stars because they’ve done it again. They beat Nigeria to qualify for 2022, and now they’ve done it once more. As players, we have to prepare well and face the challenges ahead because it’s the biggest stage in football.”

When did Richard Ofori last represent Ghana?

The former Orlando Pirates custodian last played for the Black Stars at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Ivory Coast where he skippered his team. It is on that premise that he believes he is not completely out of the picture for selection.

“The opportunity is there again. We just need to prepare well, keep pushing every day, and make sure we do things right to make it an exciting World Cup,” the 31-year-old added.

“We have to congratulate them. We’re all Ghanaians, and we must support the team whether we’re at home or abroad. We need to pull in the same direction. I believe things will turn out well.”

Meanwhile, Ofori should fight for his place at AmaZulu against new signing Darren Johnson as they face Chippa United in a Betway Premiership match at Buffalo City Stadium in South Africa on Saturday. Kick-off is at 20h15.