Lawrence Ati-Zigi – Black Stars
Ghana goalkeeper, Lawrence Ati-Zigi, has declared the Black Stars’ readiness ahead of the team’s first group game against Panama on June 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup which kicked off on Thursday.
According to Ati-Zigi, the team was ready and focused on getting a good start before coming face to face with England and Croatia in their subsequent group games.
He made the declaration on Wednesday as the team wrapped up preparations in Virginia ahead of the Panama game on Tuesday.
The St. Gallen shot-stopper, who is set to represent Ghana at his second successive FIFA World Cup, told ghanafa.org that every player was enjoying the unity in the team and are ready for battle.
“You can see all the guys are very ready and we’ve trained very well. We’ve given our best and we’re looking forward to this moment.”
Commenting on new coach Carlos Queiroz, he described him as a very experienced coach.
“He has a lot of information. We just have to take the good information he gives us and try to make use of it. The expectation is teamwork. We’re going to fight to the end. We’re going to give it all and we hope that we’ll make Ghanaians proud.”
“You can see his impact on the team. I think it’s really a good group. We’re all together. We fight for each other. You can see there’s really positive vibes each and every time. This is what we like and this is what we want to keep up. We want to take this positive energy into the games. We hope that we can have a very good World Cup.
On playing at another World Cup, he said “everyone dreams of playing on this big platform. For me, it’s actually a big dream because you get to face big players. You get the atmosphere, a lot of people in the stadium, the support, the love. It’s really a good experience for me and I’m really looking forward to it. I think it comes down to dedication to the game.”
He said the players have developed a positive mindset because it gets to a point when things does not go well. “I think that’s when we need this winning mentality and winning spirit. I think they just need this to help the team achieve better goals.”
On nerves ahead of the first match, he replied: “I don’t think that’s the word because I feel there’s good team spirit. This shows that everyone is ready and everyone is looking forward to it. Like I said, it’s a dream to be here so everyone is ready to live it.”
The strength of the team, he said, was the willingness to fight for each other and play as a team and not just as individuals.
“We support each other and we help each other by encouraging the young ones to keep going and to always give their best. These are moments that happen in football where you have bad moments and sometimes you don’t qualify. For us, the biggest moment is now.”
On approach to Ghana’s group matches, he said “We’re just going to take it game by game. Hopefully, we analyse it and see how it goes. We know it hasn’t been easy in the past days, but we’re just going to give our all. We’re asking for the support and prayers of the fans, like always. They should also stay positive. Hopefully, we’re going to make them proud.
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