Ghana don name wetin dem describe as pre-World Cup squad wey go prepare for di tournament and play at least two more friendly games bifor di mundial.

New head coach Carlos Queiroz and di Ghana football association announce di 28-man squad wey dem tok say dem go use dem train and prepare bifor dem go finalize di 26-man squad for 1 June.

Di squad get five goalkeepers, nine defenders and seven forwards wey dem begin preparation from 25 May to 1 June.

Ghana go play one friendly game wit Wales for Cardiff on 2 June, one day afta di kontri go name di final squad for di 2026 World Cup.

Di kontri dey tink about one more friendly match bifor dem go dey set for di tournament wey go happun for US, Mexico and Canada from 11 June to 19 July 2026.

Ghana lose dia last friendly match 2-0 against Mexico for Puebla on 22 May, dat be di sixth friendly wey Ghana Black stars don lose in a row.

Bifor dat, dem bin lose to Germany and Austria – wey dem sack coach Otto Addo at dat time for new coach Carlos Queiroz.

For dat friendly wit Mexico, Ghana bin use local-based players and only about three foreign- based players sake of most clubs neva finish dia league for Europe so dem neva release dia players.

From dat squad wey play di Mexico friendly, na only one player (goalkeeper Benjamin Asare) get call-up for dis fresh 28-man squad.

Sabi pipo believe say di coaching team go drop two out of di five goalkeepers wey go bring di number down to 26 for di tournament.

Full 28-man pre-World Cup squad

Goalkeepers: Benjamin Asare (Hearts of Oak), Lawrence Ati-Zigi (St. Gallen), Joseph Annang (St. Patrick's Athletic), Solomon Agbasi (Hearts of Oak)

Defenders: Baba Rahman (PAOK), Gideon Mensah (Auxerre), Marvin Senaya (Auxerre), Alidu Seidu (Rennes), Abdul Mumin (Rayo Vallecano), Jerome Opoku (Istanbul Basaksehir), Jonas Adjetey (Wolfsburg), Kojo Oppong Peprah (Nice), Alex Djiku (Spartak Moscow)

Midfielders: Elisha Owusu (Auxerre), Thomas Partey (Villarreal), Kwasi Sibo (Real Oviedo), Augustine Boakye (AS St. Etienne), Caleb Yirenkyi (FC Nordsjaelland)

Forwards: Kamaldeen Sulemana (Atalanta), Christopher Bonsu Baah (AL Qadsiah), Ernest Nuamah (Lyon), Antoine Semenyo (Manchester City), Brandon Thomas-Asante (Coventry City), Prince Kwabena Adu (Viktoria Plzen), Inaki Williams (Athletic Bilbao), Jordan Ayew (Leicester City), Fatawu Issahaku (Leicester City).

No space for some wey pundits believe to be regular Black Stars players

No space for di team for LA Galaxy attacker Joseph Painstil for di second straight World Cup tournament, at least from dis pre-squad dem announce.

Paintsil score three goals and get three assists for 15 games for LA Galaxy for America.

Many pundits and fans shock how im no get call-up again, especially as former coach Otto Addo neva call am for di 2022 World cup.

Joseph Paintsil tok at dat time say e pain am well well sake of im score plenty goals and assists but di coach tell am say "football no be about goals and assists, na to defend be di reason why im neva select am."

Dem no select Union Berlin defender Derrick Kohn wey bin switch nationality recently to play for Ghana. Im play three games for di Black Stars wey im provide assist for im last game wit Germany for di friendly match.

Midfielder Majeed Ashimeru also no get call-up for dis pre-World Cup even afta im captain di local-based team wey face Mexico on Friday 22 May.

Ashimeru play nine games for im new club RAAL La Louvière since im join di Belgian Pro League club on loan for January.

Bifor di loan, di Ghana midfielder play few games for Anderlecht reserve side afta im return from long injury.

Key players miss out sake of injury

Tottenham Hotspurs starboy Mohammed Kudus no recover from one long injury so im go miss di World Cup.

Oda key players like AS Monaco defender Mohammed Salisu also bin dey miss out sake of long-term injury.

Francis Abu wey dey play for Toulouse FC also dey miss di competition afta im suffer broken leg for di kontri friendly match wit Japan.

Tarique Lamptey wey dem recently terminate im contract wit Fiorentina also dey miss wit injury.

Defender Baba Rahman dey return to di Black Stars for di first time since 2022, when fans bin boo am for Baba Yara stadium afta one game sake of poor performance.

Im decide to step away from di team wey im dey concentrate for im club PAOK for Greece.

Many Ghana players wey dem select suffer relegation for dia clubs

Di stand out players for di squad be Manchester City new boy Antoine Semenyo wey score 19 goals and six assists as im help City win di FA Cup and EFL cup for Guardiola im final season for di club.

Christopher Bonsu Baah also get three goals and 12 assists for AL Qadsiah for im debut season for Saudi Arabia - im even win staff player of di season for di club.

Defender Alex Djiku also bin win di 2025/26 Russian cup wit Spartak Moscow, I play 29 games across competitions for di club.

Ghana captain Jordan Ayew and Issahaku Fatawu suffer relegation wit Leicester City – in fact di club announce say Ayew im contract don even end, so im be free agent now.

Ayew score six goals and three assists for 45 games across competitions for di foxes.

Im teammate Fatawu Issahaku score nine goals and seven assists for 39 games.

Midfielder Kwasi Sibo also suffer relegation wit Real Oviedo from di Spanish league.

Defender Jonas Adjetey and im club Wolfsburg suffer relegation wia im make only four appearances dis season.

No place for di squad for former Black Stars captain Andre Ayew, defender Denis Odoi and Kamaldeen Sowah wey don also suffer relegation wit Dutch team NAC Breda.

Ghana go open dia World Cup wit Panama for 17 June, bifor dem go play wit England on 23 June and then Croatia on 27 June 2026.