Ghana head coach Carlos Queiroz has unveiled a 28-man provisional squad for the Black Stars’ upcoming pre-World Cup friendly against Wales, marking the return of defender Abdul Baba Rahman to the national setup.
The PAOK FC left-back, formerly of Chelsea FC, has been recalled after more than two years away from the national team, a period largely attributed to personal reasons and previous technical decisions that kept him out of selection.
According to the Communications Director of the Ghana Football Association (Ghana Football Association), Henry Asante Twum, Baba Rahman’s inclusion is purely based on technical assessment by the current coaching team led by Queiroz.
He explained that earlier efforts by former coaches Chris Hughton and Otto Addo to reintegrate the defender were unsuccessful, but the current technical direction has opted to bring him back into the fold.
The GFA spokesperson further noted that while 28 players have been named in the provisional squad, only 26 will make the final cut for Ghana’s World Cup roster following final assessments by the technical team.
Ghana are preparing for their fifth FIFA World Cup appearance and have been drawn in Group L alongside England, Croatia, and Panama. Their campaign begins on June 17 against Panama at BMO Field, before facing England on June 23 at Gillette Stadium, and concluding the group stage against Croatia on June 27 at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Black Stars are currently in Cardiff, where they will face Wales in a friendly on June 2 as part of their final preparations ahead of the tournament.
Queiroz is expected to trim the squad to 26 players on June 1 as Ghana fine-tunes its lineup for the global showpiece.
