By Zach Lowy
Ghana are headed back to the FIFA World Cup for the fifth time in their nation’s history, having previously done so in 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2022. The last time Ghana played in the world’s biggest tournament, they finished bottom of their group despite scoring more goals (5) than South Korea and Uruguay and only slightly less than group winners Portugal (6).
Having conceded seven goals in Qatar, Ghana failed to turn things around the following year in the Ivory Coast, conceding twice in all three of their AFCON matches. They bounced back from their group-stage elimination by winning their first two World Cup qualifiers, only to take just three points from their next six matches and miss out on qualification to the upcoming AFCON.
But despite these woeful defensive numbers, Ghana manager Otto Addo isn’t too worried. Speaking in an R.Org interview after Friday’s 2026 FIFA World Cup draw in Washington D.C., Addo stated, “It’s difficult to pick out certain statistics. We can also take statistics from our last games and say, ‘From our last six World Cup qualifiers, we didn’t lose once.
You can pick it out and make a story for yourself, but I don’t really like this kind of approach. But surely, it’s going to be a key, and it’s a key in every game. Once your defense is strong, that’s your base, and we know we have the quality up front to score a goal out of nothing, so surely that will be key for the World Cup.”
2025 has seen Ghana turn things around in the defensive front, keeping three clean sheets in their first four matches before drawing 1-1 at Chad.
They would proceed to beat Mali, Central African Republic and Comoros by a combined 7-0 scoreline before losing in friendlies to Japan and South Korea last month. There are quite a few reasons behind Ghana’s defensive improvement, but one of them has been the emergence of Jerome Opoku.
Born in London to Ghanaian parents, Opoku rose through Fulham’s youth ranks before cutting his teeth in the lower leagues with Accrington Stanley and Plymouth Argyle, followed by another loan spell at Danish side Velje Boldklub.
He then departed Fulham after 13 years and joined Portuguese outfit Arouca, where he emerged as a superb presence in the backline and took them from a relegation battle to European qualification. These stellar displays earned the attention of Turkish side İstanbul Başakşehir, who signed him in 2022 for an eventual fee of €1.5 million.
It hasn’t taken long for Opoku to establish himself as an ever-present at the back; out of his 217 senior club appearances, 95 have come with İstanbul Başakşehir.
Opoku has proven instrumental with his aerial prowess, last-ditch interventions, and inch-perfect through balls, ranking second in their squad for interceptions per game (1.2), third for accurate passes per 90 (46.2) and third for clearances per 90 (4.0) in league play, whilst he’s also helped out in the other box with 7 goals and 6 assists.
Opoku made his Ghana debut in a 4-0 loss to the USA in October 2023 before returning in March 2024, where, after getting sent off vs. Nigeria, he scored his first-ever international goal vs. Uganda.
However, he would have to wait another year before returning to the side and making his competitive debut, coming off the bench in a 5-0 win vs. Chad and starting in a 3-0 win vs. Madagascar.
He was involved in their next three World Cup qualifiers, playing the full 90 vs. Chad and coming off the bench vs. Mali and Central African Republic, before watching from the bench as Ghana secured their spot in the World Cup following a 1-0 win vs. Comoros.
“I don’t think it’s really sunk in. But when I was on that pitch, and once the whistle went, I looked around me, I saw everyone’s faces, I saw my family’s faces too, it was just amazing,” stated Opoku in an exclusive RG interview. “That’s definitely the biggest achievement so far in my career, 100%.
It definitely made me feel like I was a part of something much bigger than just football, because you see how much it means to literally everyone in the country…it was amazing.”
At 27 years of age, Jerome Opoku hasn’t yet managed to play in a top 5 league in Europe, or compete in the UEFA Champions League, or win his first senior trophy.
However, he has done something that most footballers can only dream of – qualify his team for the FIFA World Cup. And as Ghana look to make it out of a jam-packed group featuring England, Croatia and Panama, they’ll need Opoku to bring his best and deliver the Black Stars to the promised land.
“Hopefully, once that team selection’s there, my name will be on it and that’s when I can celebrate, but for now, I don’t want to get too excited.
I just want to just stay locked in, stay a part of the squad, and just keep helping Ghana and developing myself in the friendlies leading up to that tournament.
The World Cup is the biggest tournament in the world that you can be a part of, so God willing, I’ll be involved. This team is coming together really well and taking it game by game.
You know, the more you spend time with each other, the more you learn about each other and the playing style and everything. Once we touch into the coaches’ ideas, I think we have a great game plan and top players, so it’ll all just come together nicely.
If I’m there, which I pray I will be, then, the sky’s the limit for anyone. We’re a nation that doesn’t fear anything, so we’ll be going there with high hopes.”
