2022 FIFA World Cup Team Preview: Ghana

Ghana World Cup Team Preview

Ghana

FIFA Ranking: 61
Manager: Otto Addo
Federation: Confederation of African Football
Group: Portugal, Uruguay, Ghana, South Korea
Odds to win World Cup: +25000, FanDuel
Odds to win Group H: +1000, FanDuel
Odds to advance in Group H: +250, FanDuel

How did Ghana qualify for the World Cup?

Ghana was the first African nation to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar back in March. They went 4-1-1 in their CAF group. They faced a strong Nigerian team in a home-and-home series. The first leg was a 0-0 draw, but they qualified on away goals with a 1-1 draw after a 10th minute penalty kick against Nigeria.

Who is Ghana’s most important player?

Mohammed Kudus

There are a handful of players that would fit well in this section for Ghana from the veteran Jordan Ayew to Inaki Williams, but ultimately I landed on Kudus as the team’s most important player. The 22-year-old has made a splash with his goal scoring ability with Ajax so far this season with nine non-PK goals in all competitions. Ghana is a little light on attackers and finishers, but if they can get production from Kudus, they could make waves in this group.

What are Ghana’s strengths, weaknesses, style of play and form?

Ghana — and their young coach Addo — are still working on their identity and have been flexible with their formation recently. Their midfield is strong defensively and has upside going forward up the pitch with Kudus and Thomas Partey as main cogs. They have a good — and large — group of attackers to choose from up front and can ride the hot hand if needed. The Black Stars also have a handful of wingbacks who possess the talent and energy to create problems for opposing teams down the flanks.

Their defense — along with longevity and durability — might prove to be difficult for Ghana as they have had issues with injuries, depth, and off-field business in the past.

Ghana played two AFCON qualifiers in June which went well with a 3-0 win and a 1-1 draw. However, most recently, they took a 3-0 loss to Brazil and beat Nicaragua 1-0 in their final warm-up games prior to the World Cup.

What is Ghana’s World Cup Outlook?

Ghana has talent and energy — but the odds are against them to advance out of the group stage. They are a little inexperienced and have not had a lot of time on the field together which could lead to some difficult times. However, like South Korea, if they catch Portugal or Uruguay on a bad day, they can make a push to finish top two.

Best Ghana World Cup Bet

The bet I like most for Ghana is to finish bottom of the group at +100 on FanDuel. While I believe they are more talented than South Korea, I think they will struggle to get results in this group due to inexperience.