Henry Asante Twum, Communications Director of the Ghana Football Association, has confirmed that no final decision has been made regarding Andre Ayew’s potential inclusion in the Black Stars squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The 36-year-old forward returned to competitive football following a six-month break after leaving French side Le Havre AC and has recently joined Dutch outfit NAC Breda in 10 appearances, reigniting debate over whether he should rejoin the national team. He last wore the Black Stars jersey at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, where Ghana failed to progress beyond the group stage.
Despite public calls for his recall, head coach Otto Addo and his technical staff have opted not to include him in the squad for the pre-World Cup friendlies against Austria national football team and Germany national football team later this month.
When asked by 3Sports about Ayew featuring in the World Cup, Asante Twum said, “Nobody knows if Andre Ayew will go to the World Cup.”
Ghana will kick off their preparatory friendlies on March 27 at Vienna’s Ernst-Happel-Stadion against Austria, with kickoff at 17:00 GMT, before travelling to Stuttgart to face 2014 World Cup winners Germany on March 30.
Additional warm-up matches are scheduled against Mexico national football team in May and Wales national football team on June 2 ahead of the tournament.
Drawn in Group L alongside Panama national football team, England national football team, and Croatia national football team, the Black Stars will open their World Cup campaign against Panama on June 17, meet England on June 23, and conclude the group stage with a clash against Croatia on June 27.
After group-stage exits in 2014 and 2022, Ghana will be aiming for a stronger showing when the tournament kicks off across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
