“Unity Cup will boost Ghana’s confidence ahead of World Cup qualifiers” – CK Akonnor

Former Ghana international Charles Kwabla Akonnor has shared his thoughts on the nation’s performance at the 2025 Unity Cup and what it means looking forward to competitive games in 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying later this year.

The four-time African champions faced continental rivals Nigeria in the first semifinal game where they suffered a 2-1 loss before dispatching Trinidad and Tobago by 4-0 in the third place at the GTech Community Stadium.

Goals from Jordan Ayew, Razak Simpson, Mohammed Fuseini, and Lawrence Agyekum sealed the win for Otto Addo’s side who claimed bronze. The Black Stars will resume their 2026 World Cup qualifiers in September and Akonnor, who once handled the team, believes the win against TnT will improve the confidence level ahead of the back-to-back games.

“The victory against Trinidad and Tobago was good enough to lift their confidence ahead of any competitive match,” Akonnor told Graphic Sports.

“Potentially, the young players have good talent. In some time to come, this generation will fade and it will give the coach an opportunity for replacement,

Ghana, who sit at the top of Group I with 15 points after six games, will travel to play Chad before hosting Mali in the Match day 7 and 8 games of the qualifiers in September.