Former Ghana midfielder Derek Boateng has urged the Black Stars to start their 2026 World Cup campaign with a decisive win, stressing that a strong opening could set the tone for the tournament.
Ghana, appearing at the World Cup for the fifth time, will face Panama in their opener on June 17 in Toronto, before taking on England on June 23 in Boston and closing the group stage against Croatia on June 27 in Philadelphia.
In an interview with Sporty FM, Boateng described Ghana’s group as challenging but emphasised the importance of the first match against Panama.
“I feel like that’s a tough group. We all know how England plays—some of our players compete in the English league, so we know their style,” he said. “Croatia also always perform well in tournaments, and people respect them a lot; they have very good players who work hard.”
He highlighted Panama as a team not to be underestimated, pointing to the influence of their captain, who plays alongside him at San Diego.
“Here comes Panama, who we don’t know much about, and their captain plays in our team. I watch him every day in training; he is not a guy who runs a lot, but when the game starts, he has more brains than anyone on the field. He picks passes that can destroy your defenders in one move. They qualified because they play well—they are really good—and we face them in our first game,” Boateng said.
He insisted that a win against Panama would build confidence for the matches against England and Croatia.
“Everything starts from the first game. If we beat Panama, England and Croatia won’t seem as tough. England is afraid of us because we have quality players—Thomas Partey, Mohammed Kudus, Kamaldeen Sulemana have matched them before. In every tournament, the first game is the most important; it gives you a foundation for the rest of the matches. We must focus on that game,” he added.
After early exits in 2014 and 2022 in Brazil and Qatar, Ghana will be aiming for a deeper run in the expanded 2026 World Cup, beginning with a statement victory in Toronto.
