Otto Addo has etched his name in Ghana’s football history books by becoming the first coach to lead the Black Stars to back-to-back FIFA World Cup tournaments.
The former Borussia Dortmund talent coach first guided Ghana to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, famously securing qualification after a tense playoff victory over Nigeria.
After stepping down following that campaign, Addo returned to the national team in early 2024 for a second spell. Despite missing out on qualification for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, the Ghana Football Association stood by him, a decision that has now proven to be inspired.
On Sunday night at the Accra Sports Stadium, the 50-year-old sealed Ghana’s qualification for the 2026 World Cup with a hard-fought 1–0 win over Comoros, marking another proud moment in his managerial career.
This achievement cements Addo’s status among the elite ranks of Ghanaian coaches to have taken the nation to the world stage, joining Ratomir Dujkovic (2006), Milovan Rajevac (2010), and Kwesi Appiah (2014).
Ghana reached the Round of 16 in their debut World Cup appearance in 2006 and the quarterfinals in 2010 but have since struggled, bowing out at the group stage in both 2014 and 2022.
As Addo prepares for his second consecutive World Cup, his focus will be on guiding the Black Stars beyond the group stage when the world’s best teams gather across the United States, Canada, and Mexico in 2026.
Ghana will learn their group-stage opponents when the official World Cup draw takes place in December.
