The Road to FIFA World Cup 2026: Ghana and U.S. Rivalry Continues
United States forward Folarin Balogun (20) in action against Ghana at GEODIS Park. Balogun was born in New York to Nigerian parents. He scored U.S.’s third goal in the 22nd minute. Photo Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY SportsAfrica’s soccer powerhouse, The Black Stars, concluded their U.S. tour last Tuesday with a defeat to the U.S. Men’s National Team at GEODIS Park in Nashville.
This was Ghana’s second friendly in their U.S. tour. Their inaugural game took place on Saturday, Oct.14, against Mexico at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. Mexico won 2-0, courtesy of second-half goals from Hirving Lozano and Uriel Antuna.
Following the loss to Mexico, Ghana’s coach, Chris Houghton, emphasized his team’s commitment to perform better against the USMNT, stating “We don’t want to leave this international camp with two poor results.”
Two poor results it was as The Black Stars failed to shine against a well-organized U.S. Team. Houghton described the 4-0 loss as, “Hugely disappointing and not something I expected.”
World Cup Rivals
Although Tuesday’s friendly was one-sided, with the USMNT putting the match beyond Ghana’s reach before the halftime whistle, previous encounters between the two have been the proverbial duel of elephants, especially at the FIFA World Cup.
Prior to their first-ever World Cup clash at the 2006 tournament in Germany, Ghana and the U.S. had played against each other twice. They first met at South Korea’s President’s Cup in June 17,1983. Ghana won 5-0. Two months later, The Black Stars triumphed 1-0 at the Merdeka Tournament in Malaysia.
At the 2006 World Cup, the U.S. was making its eighth appearance at the tournament. The USMNT was one of thirteen countries that participated in the inaugural 1930 World Cup in Uruguay and reached the semifinal before failing 6-1 to Argentina.
So, when the two teams met for Group E’s last matches (Italy and the Czech Republic were playing 300 miles aways in Hamburg) on June 22, 2006, at the Frankenstadion in Nuremberg, it was a clash between a World Cup novice and a seasoned regular.
The U.S., having not won a single match until then, needed to defeat Ghana whilst praying for the Czech Republic to lose, in order to proceed to the round of 16. The World Cup debutants wouldn’t have any of it. Haminu Draman scored the first goal in the 22nd minute after wrestling the ball from Claudio Reyna and shooting it past Kasey Keller.
The U.S. responded with a goal in the 43rd minute when Clint Dempsey converted a pass from DaMarcus Beasley. A few minutes later Ghana was awarded a penalty during the first half’s extra time when Oguchi Onyewu brought down Razak Pimpong in the penalty box. Stephen Appiah send Keller the wrong way as he shook the right side of the net and jeopardized The Yanks hopes of advancing to the next round. Ghana defended valiantly in the second half ensuring a 2-1 win and advancing to the round of 16 where they lost 3-0 to Brazil. Haminu Draman (23) scores Ghana’s first-ever World Cup goal. Photo Credit: Getty Images
Ghana and the U.S. met again four years later in South Africa at the first-ever World Cup held in Africa. The two teams had to wait until the round of 16 to face each other in a “do or die” on June 26, 2010, at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium.
The USMNT, having topped Group C, was hoping to register a third World Cup quarter-final appearance. On the other hand, Ghana was hoping to be the third African nation to play in World Cup quarter-finals after Cameroon became the first in 1990 and Senegal followed suit twelve years later.
When Ghana took to the Royal Bafokeng Stadium to face the USMNT they were the only remaining African team at the tournament. It took only five minutes for all of Africa to leap with joy as Prince Boateng outsmarted two U.S. defenders with a kick just outside the penalty box that was too fast for Tim Howard to stop. The score remained 1-0 until the latter half of the second half when Jonathan Mensah brought down Clint Dempsey in and the Hungarian referee, Victor Kassai, decreed that had not only the defender earned himself a yellow card, but it was also now up to Richard Kingson to try and stop a penalty. He couldn’t. Landon Donovan sent him diving the wrong way and leveled the match.
Ninety minutes were not enough to determine this ‘duel of elephants’ and the match went into overtime. One team had to go home. At the 93rd minute Asamoah Gyan ensured that it wasn’t Ghana. He masterfully controlled Andre Ayew lob pass, waded off the defensive attempts of Jay DeMerit and Carlos Bocanegra, and made sure that Howard stood no chance of stopping his left volley.
Gyan’s goal was enough to replicate the 2006 World Cup scoreline, 2-1, and to disappoint U.S. fans including former president, Bill Clinton, who was in attendance.
The USMNT could only watch from afar as Ghana played Uruguay a week later in Johannesburg. This encounter produced one of the most talked-about moments of the tournament when Luis Suarez used his hand to stop Dominic Adiyiah’s goalbound header in the final minute of extra-time. He was red carded, giving Ghana a chance to win the match with a penalty kick. Asamoah Gyan’s strike struck the top of the crossbar, to the dismay of a continent. The South Americans eventually won the match, 4-2, in a penalty shootout. Afterwards Suarez bragged that he’s had the most vital role in the match. He said, “Mine is the real ‘Hand of God. I made the save of the tournament.”
Africa’s dreams of a first-ever semifinal slot on African soil were crashed. Ghana and the continent would have to try again in four years.
Four years later, there was yet another tale of Ghana and U.S. booming rivalry at the 2014 World Cup. When the two teams met, it took Clint Dempsey only thirty seconds to shake Ghana’s net and elate U.S. fans, including U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, at Estadio das Dunas.
In their previous World Cup meets, the first team to score went on to win the match. Would Brazil 2014 break the tradition? Eighty-two minutes later, Ghana’s Andre Ayew seemed to suggest so when he converted Asamoah Gyan’s back-heel pass into a goal. However, John Brook’s header in the eighty sixth minute ensured a U.S.’s 2-1 victory.
Ghana’s loss was followed by a draw with Germany and a loss to Portugal. They finished last in Group G.
Both the U.S. and Ghana did not qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia but they both traveled to Qatar for the 2022 winter showdown. This marked the first time that both teams were at the same World Cup and didn’t face off against each other. Ghana finished last in Group H while the USMNT advanced to the round of 16 as runners-up in Group B.
The USMNT celebrate their first win against Ghana at a World Cup at Estadio das Dunas, Brazil. Photo Credit: Julio Cortez-AP
Will there be a 2026 U.S. vs. Ghana World Cup showdown?
If The Black Stars qualify for the next World Cup, they’ll be back in North America for the 2026 tournament which will be hosted by three nations: The United States of America, Mexico, and Canada. As a host nation, the U.S. has already qualified for the tournament. So, if Ghana wants to revenge its last World Cup loss to The Yanks, they must overcome Mali, Madagascar, Central African Republic, Comoros, and Chad in Group I of CAF’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifications.
The official brand of FIFA World Cup 2026. Photo Credit: FIFAGhana faces Madagascar and Comoros in November, followed by a journey to Ivory coast in January for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Despite the recent losses to the U.S. and Mexico, Ghana’s coach believes he’s still the man for the job and will make The Black Stars shine again, stating, “I fully appreciate what football means in Ghana and promise that I will continue to work as hard as I can.”
By Musembi Ndaita/Diaspora Messenger Contributor
About Author
Musembi Ndaita is a writer and editor based in the City of Brotherly Love. He was longlisted for the 2022 Commonwealth Short Story Prize. His non-fiction and fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in Africology, In the Sands of Time, On the Other Side of Hope, Mere Orthodoxy, and Philadelphia Stories
The Road to FIFA World Cup 2026: Ghana and U.S. Rivalry Continues
