African teams are dropping out of World Cup. Can underdog Ghana win in KC Friday?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Three of the nine African teams who reached the knockout stage were eliminated in the.
- Ghana faces Colombia in Kansas City aiming to be one of the last African teams standing.
- Manager Carlos Queiroz, 73, has led Ghana since joining the team in April.
A historic World Cup run for 10 African nations is slowly coming to a close.
Three of the nine that advanced through the group stage of the quadrennial soccer tournament have been sent home with losses. Six remain in the knockout rounds.
Ghana will be looking to avoid being the next African team sent packing on Friday night, when the “Black Stars” take on Colombia at Kansas City (Arrowhead) Stadium.
For decades, African football has faced criticism and skepticism, often based on unfounded racial stereotypes. Successful nations like Ghana dismantle those notions with every win and accomplishment they stack, especially at major tournaments.
With Ghana’s match being the last of the Round of 32, they could be one of the last African teams standing next to Morocco, which has already qualified for the Round of 16.
The Moroccans reached the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar; if any other African team joins them this summer, it would be the most African teams advancing past the first round of a World Cup knockout stage.
“Another challenge for us — we have to improve this,” Ghana manager Carlos Queiroz said with a smile toward team captain Jordan Ayew during a news conference on Friday. “We have to make it better, so it is on our shoulders to be sure that we add another African team to the next round.”
Ghana is equipped with one of the game’s most successful coaches. Queiroz, 73, is the oldest manager to win a World Cup match. Ghana is the sixth team (South Africa, Portugal, Iran three times) he has managed in a World Cup.
The Portuguese coach has only been with the Ghana team since April, but he’s now just the second coach all-time to appear in five consecutive World Cups.
Queiroz is confident his experience can help guide a team of talented players, many of whom also play in some of the biggest pro leagues in the world.
And Queiroz has his own experience with Friday’s opponent: He was Colombia’s manager from February 2019 to December 2020.
“The real World Cup starts now,” he said. “These are the games that count and matter.”
Ghana’s defensive style under Queiroz led to a result of each kind in this year’s group round: a 1-0 win over Panama, a scoreless draw against England and a 2-1 loss to Croatia. Those outcomes enabled the Black Stars to qualify as one of the best third-place teams in the field.
The Ghana players feel the weight of representing African football, Ayew said, but they’re prepared for that. They’re a big underdog Friday, the lowest FIFA-ranked team left in the tournament going up against 13th-ranked Colombia.
“Every day we start at 50-50,” Ayew said. “We will do our best and we see what will happen, but what I can guarantee is that we’ll definitely make Africa and Ghana proud.”
It’s also been 16 years since Ghana advanced to the quarterfinals of a World Cup, the deepest Ghana has played.
“We’ll see tomorrow, but tomorrow is going to be a big deal, and everyone has to show up,” Ayew said. “I’m pretty confident that it’s an achievement for us, because I think under pressure the quality will flourish.”
A final note: Ghanaian players will be competing with heavy hearts and minds Friday. Torrential rain has caused flooding in their home country, including in the capital Accra, and the Ivory Coast in West Africa this week.
At least 12 people have been confirmed dead with more than 70,000 people displaced from their homes.
“Yes, it’s going to be challenging tomorrow,” Ayew said when asked. “Everyone is aware, you always check the news and obviously we want to sympathize our people, especially because obviously it’s not been easy last couple of days for everyone, the boys as well.
“Everyone’s aware, and obviously we had a discussion about it, so we know what is at stake tomorrow. Obviously, it’s a motivation for us to make our people proud and to take Ghana to the next level.”
This story was originally published July 2, 2026 at 4:13 PM.
