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0 Ghana’s preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup have been dealt a devastating double blow, with influential playmaker Mohammed Kudus and commanding centre-back Mohammed Salisu both officially ruled out of the tournament through serious injuries.
Head coach Carlos Queiroz named a 28-man provisional squad on Monday as the Black Stars opened their pre-World Cup training camp in Cardiff ahead of a friendly against Wales on 2nd June. But the announcement was overshadowed by the glaring absence of two players who would have been automatic starters had fate been kinder.
Kudus, the Tottenham Hotspur attacking midfielder who has been Ghana’s creative heartbeat for the past four years, was left out after a quadriceps injury and a subsequent rehabilitation setback ended his club season prematurely. The 25-year-old initially suffered the injury against Sunderland and was expected to recover in time for the World Cup. However, Tottenham later revealed that the Ghana international had experienced a setback during his recovery that could require surgery. That news, which emerged several months ago, cast serious doubt over his availability for the tournament. Those fears have now been confirmed.
His absence leaves a cavernous hole in Queiroz’s attacking midfield. No other player in the squad possesses Kudus’s unique blend of close control, dribbling ability and goal threat from the edge of the box. Over the last four years, he had become the player around whom much of Ghana’s attacking play was designed.
Equally crushing is the loss of Mohammed Salisu. The AS Monaco centre-back ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament during a league fixture against Olympique Lyon in January. Ghana’s team doctor, Dr Prince Pambo, confirmed earlier this year that the defender’s recovery timeline would keep him out of the World Cup. “Mohammed Salisu will miss the World Cup; his knee injury requires nine months to recover,” Dr Pambo told Asempa FM at the time. The nine-month window places his return well after the tournament concludes, leaving Queiroz without his most reliable defensive presence.
For a team preparing to face Panama, England and Croatia in Group L, losing both a defensive anchor and an attacking fulcrum is nothing short of catastrophic. Salisu’s composure on the ball and physical dominance at the back would have been essential against England’s Premier League‑laden attack. Kudus’s ingenuity in the final third would have been Ghana’s best hope of unlocking Croatia’s experienced midfield. Now, Queiroz must find answers from within.
There is, however, some cause for cautious optimism elsewhere in the squad. Queiroz has welcomed back several players who have spent long spells on the sidelines. Olympique Lyon winger Ernest Nuamah returns for the first time in nearly a year after recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury that sidelined him for more than twelve months. Former Chelsea left back Baba Abdul Rahman is also back after a strong season with Greek side PAOK, where he made thirty‑five appearances, scoring three goals and providing three assists. His last Ghana cap came in September 2023.
Rayo Vallecano defender Abdul Mumin has also recovered from an ACL injury to earn a recall, while Rennes defender Alidu Seidu and Saint‑Étienne midfielder Augustine Boakye return after injury‑hit European campaigns. Ajax youngster Paul Reverson, just twenty years old, received his first senior call‑up after impressing for the Dutch club’s youth setup, though he is understood to be under assessment with a longer‑term view.
Inaki Williams, the Athletic Bilbao striker who missed several recent national team matches through injury and fitness concerns, returns to the fold. Captain Jordan Ayew and Leicester City winger Abdul Fatawu Issahaku will lead the side alongside Villarreal midfielder Thomas Partey and Manchester City forward Antoine Semenyo, the latter coming off a superb Premier League season and now tasked with carrying Ghana’s goal threat almost single‑handedly.
The Black Stars began training on Monday at Dragon Park in Cardiff. They will face Wales on 2nd June before travelling to North America for the World Cup. Their Group L campaign opens against Panama in Toronto, followed by England in Boston and Croatia in Philadelphia. But for a team that has lost two of its most indispensable players, the road ahead looks considerably steeper than it did just a few months ago. Queiroz must now reshape his plans around a squad that is suddenly missing its defensive rock and its creative genius. Whether the returnees can fill that void is the question that will define Ghana’s tournament.
Ghana’s Black Stars provisional squad;
Goalkeepers: Benjamin Asare (Accra Hearts of Oak), Lawrence Ati-Zigi (St. Gallen), Joseph Anang (St. Patrick’s Athletic), Solomon Agbasi (Accra Hearts of Oak), Paul Reverson (Ajax).
Defenders: Baba Abdul Rahman (PAOK), Gideon Mensah (Auxerre), Marvin Senaya (Auxerre), Alidu Seidu (Rennes), Abdul Mumin (Rayo Vallecano), Jerome Opoku (Istanbul Basaksehir), Jonas Adjetey (Wolfsburg), Kojo Oppong Peprah (Nice), Alexander Djiku (Spartak Moscow), Elisha Owusu (Auxerre).
Midfielders: Thomas Partey (Villarreal), Kwasi Sibo (Real Oviedo), Augustine Boakye (Saint-Étienne), Caleb Yirenkyi (FC Nordsjaelland), Abdul Fatawu Issahaku (Leicester City).
Forwards: Kamal Deen Sulemana (Atlanta), Christopher Bonsu Baah (Al Qadsiah), Ernest Nuamah (Lyon), Antoine Semenyo (Manchester City), Brandon Thomas-Asante (Coventry City), Prince Kwabena Adu (Viktoria Plzen), Inaki Williams (Athletic Bilbao), Jordan Ayew (Leicester City).
