The Ghana national football team formed in 1957. The team affiliated to the Confederation of African Football and FIFA in 1958. Ghana has a great history in the Africa Cup of Nations, lifting the trophy four times.
Ghana did not need to wait long after independence to make an impact on the footballing world. The team won the 1963 and 1965 Cup of Nations tournaments, both less than a decade after Ghana’s football association formed. In 1965 the team set a national record by beating Kenya 13-0. Ghana continued to thrive, reaching the final of the Cup of Nations in 1968 and 1970. Despite this the team could not qualify for a world cup.
World cup 2006
In 2006 Ghana achieved their long-standing dream of recreating their success at the next level. The team qualified for the world cup of 2006, held in Germany. despite starting with a 2-0 loss to eventual champions Italy, wins against the Czech Republic and the United States saw the team make the second round. The knock-out round saw Ghana play five times world cup winners Brazil, losing 3-0.
World cup 2010
The team qualified again in 2010, the first world cup played on African soil. Drawn in a tight group with Australia, Germany and Serbia, four points was enough for Ghana to finish in second place. The second round saw Ghana play their 2006 group opponents the United States. Ghana prevailed once again, 2-1 after extra time. Ghana became only the third African team to play in the quarter-finals of the world cup when they played Uruguay. The match ended 1-1 and Uruguay won on penalties, eliminating Ghana, but not without controversy. Luis Suarez handled a goal bound shot in extra-time, getting a red card in the process. Ghana missed the penalty which would have seen them make history.
World cup 2014
The world cup in 2014 visited Brazil, with Germany becoming the first European side to win the tournament in South America. After their heroics last time around the Ghana national football team disappointed this time around. One point from their three matches left the team bottom of the group. The only positive being that their point came against eventual winners Germany. The other two matches were 2-1 defeats to both the United States and Portugal.
World cup 2018
Fixtures to be announced.
Find out more
- Ghana national football team website.
- Ghana on Twitter.
- Confederation of African Football qualifying.