President John Dramani Mahama has expressed optimism about Ghana’s participation at the 2026 FIFA World Cup while urging supporters to strictly adhere to U.S. visa regulations to avoid jeopardising the country’s restored five-year non-immigrant visa privileges.
The Black Stars of Ghana would compete in the 2026 World Cup tournament to be staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico, having been drawn in Group L alongside Panama, England and Croatia.
In his 2026 State of the Nation (SONA) address, President Mahama said the government had worked extensively with U.S. authorities to restore Ghana’s five‑year non‑immigrant visa regime and remove the country from a previous sanctions list.
He urged travelling fans to ensure they return to Ghana after the tournament to preserve that progress.
“We are being told to ensure that supporters who go return on their visas,” he said. “It has taken a lot of work to restore Ghana’s five-year non‑immigrant visas and take us off the ban list, and it is my hope that this event would not take thousands of Ghanaians to America and get us back on the ban list.”
President Mahama also highlighted Ghana’s broader sports calendar for 2026. He noted that the Black Queens would compete at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, aiming to build on their bronze-medal finish in Morocco last year.
He added that Ghana would field a multi‑disciplinary team at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, as part of efforts to strengthen elite pathways as well as the country’s participation in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
GNA
