World Cup 2026: Ghana assistant Paintsil expects tough challenge from Mali and Chad

Ghana’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification credentials will be put to the test once again in September when they battle Chad and Mali in their next fixtures.

The Black Stars will travel to the Stade Olympique in N’Djamena to face hosts Chad on September 4 before hosting Mali on September 8 at the Accra Sports Stadium.

Ghana assistant coach John Paintsil says he is confident of the team winning both matches:

“We are ready for the task ahead, but I will call on Ghanaians to support the team ahead of these two games,” he told Asempa FM. “I hope our players will be injury-free for these games because we need them for the rest of the games.

“We are confident but we also expect a tough challenge and with the right support from Ghanaians, I know that we will achieve our objective,” he added.

The four-time African champions recorded back-to-back wins earlier in March – beating Chad and Madagascar on the 5th and 6th matchdays.

Ghana currently lead Group I after six matches and are pushing for a fifth appearance at the World Cup after showing up in 2006,2010,2014 and the 2022 editions. The team will open camp on Monday, September 1.