Black Stars head coach Otto Addo has urged Ghanaians to temper their excitement over the team’s strong position in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, cautioning that complacency could derail their campaign.
Ghana’s 1-0 victory over Mali at the Accra Sports Stadium on Friday, thanks to Alexander Djiku’s strike, pushed the Black Stars to the top of Group I with 19 points. The result means they need just four points from their final two matches against the Central African Republic and Comoros to secure qualification.
Despite the advantage, Addo warned that underestimating opponents could prove costly. He expressed concern that overconfidence among fans and players might create unnecessary pressure ahead of the last fixtures.
“For me, if everybody is talking before the Chad game that we already won and we are already taking the three points, it’s dangerous,” he told journalists after the Mali game. “If this gets to the heads of the fans and players, it becomes a problem. We have to give the same effort as today to beat the Central African Republic. If not, it will be a big problem.”
The coach stressed that Ghana’s path to qualification was not sealed yet, emphasizing the importance of hard work and the right mentality in the crucial weeks ahead.
“We’re not done yet. We have a lot of work to do,” he said. “It’s going to be very, very difficult. But if we approach the games with the right thinking and mentality, we’ll get there.”
Ghana will face the Central African Republic and Comoros in October, fixtures that will determine whether the Black Stars book their ticket to the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
