The Black Stars of Ghana have been placed in Group I for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

The Black Stars were drawn in Group I in the draw which was held in Ivory Coast on Thursday, July 13, 2023.

Ghana will face Madagascar, Comoros, Central African Republic, Chad and Mali in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

The Black Stars have a task to qualify Ghana to the next World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

The qualification format which has been established by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) involves a total of nine groups of six teams in each group.

The top nine teams who will emerge from each group will automatically qualifiy for the 2026 World Cup.

The four best second-placed teams from the groups will engage in playoffs. The winner of this playoff will then compete against a team from the CONCACAF zone for a chance to secure the tenth and final spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The qualifiers are scheduled to take place over a two-year period, from November 2023 to November 2025.

The Black Stars will play their first and second matchdays on a set date in November 2023, followed by the third and fourth matchdays in June 2024.

Matches will continue from the fifth to the tenth matchday throughout 2025.

The Black Stars have qualified for four out of the last five World Cups and will be aiming to make their fifth appearance.

JNA/KPE