After reaching the knockout stage of the FIFA World for just the third time ever this past summer, Ghana is riding something of a sporting high. And you know what? It’s not stopping, either.

As part of their financial share from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Ghana is reportedly expected to receive a $12.5 million check from the federation. If that seems like a lot, well, it’s not.

For perspective, the best betting websites reviewed took in over $150 billion worth of wagers during the tournament. What’s more, FIFA itself made an estimated $15 billion. Ghana’s $12.5 million cut amounts to just 0.8 percent of that total pot.

Still, it is nevertheless a nice chunk of change. And we have a suggestion for what should be done with it: spend the money on improving the state of live-sport venues around the country.

Ghana Sports Venues Need to be Spruced Up

This isn’t just a random hunch we’re working off. We have proof of concept.

The two most famous venues in the region, Accra Sports Stadium and Baba Yara Sports Stadium, have already undergone renovations. And as it turns out, Accra is the only venue currently approved for FIFA qualifying matches in the entire country.

That isn’t ideal even if the 40,000-capacity Accra Stadium is in tip-top shape. Here’s the thing: It’s not in tip-top shape.

Accra only recently regained its clearance to host Confederation of African Football (CAF) events after undergoing some serious cosmetic changes. Imagine something in your end. Anything.

It probably needed to be updated.

The turf needed to be brought up to international code and then be further monitored by companies with the latest in artificial grounds technology. The National Sports Authority (NSA) also flat-out closed the venue so that it could work on improving the conditions for amenity offerings, as well as the seating arrangements in the stands.

Of course, this means that Accra Stadium has at least been spruced up. We cannot say the same for Baba Yara.

Baba Yara Stadium Needs Improvements

With a capacity of around 40,528 people, Baba Yara Sports Stadium is actually Ghana’s largest live-sports venue. That should, in theory, make it the perfect spot to host flagship international events or not.

The CAF recently inspected Baba Yara and found a whole bunch of issues. Most notably, they deemed the playing surface uneven, which automatically made it ineligible to host any matches.

Yet, this is only the tip of the iceberg. The CAF also found “bad drainage” and “poor grass cover” while investigating the conditions. As a result, previously scheduled qualifying matches need to be moved.

Where will they be moved, you ask? There currently isn’t an answer. Ghana’s is not teeming with live-sports venues. There has instead been talk of moving the national team’s CAF qualifying matches to outside the countries, in neutral territories.

Given how deeply Ghana citizens care about the sport, not to mention the momentum that built up for the national team during the World Cup, it would be fair to call this a disastrous scenario.

The $12.5 Million Ghana is Getting from FIFA Could Go a Long Way

During an era in which hundreds of millions of dollars, if not billions of dollars, are spent on building or renovating sports venues, the idea of Ghana moving the needle for Baba Yara with $12.5 million isn’t laughable.

But not so fast.

While these funds certainly will not cover everything, they could put a dent in whatever it costs to bring the stadium back up to international code. We do not have official numbers on the recent Accra Stadium renovations, but the work they had done in 2020 ran roughly $22.4 million. Before that, in 2018, they did about, as luck would have it, $12.5 million worth of work.

And though they underwent a more wholesale refresh and reconstruction in 2007, ahead of the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, even that body of work checked in at $31 million.

If we go ahead and take the highest of those renovations on Accra Stadium, using the $12.5 million check coming from FIFA would cover over 40 percent of the costs. That is nothing if not a good start.

Heck, we are not even saying that the work must begin right away. Create a special fund and have it built up before beginning renovations.

Basically, whatever’s the best path to Ghana having more than one venue approved for international play is the one they should be traveling down. We do not mean to imply it will be easy. But it’s necessary. And the $12.5 million coming from FIFA should at least make it easier.