Ghana’s Football History
The Ghana national football team most popularly known as “Black Stars” is administered by the Ghana Football Association and represents the country in international football competitions. Participation in the World Football Cup started late in the year 2006 and up until now the team has qualified three times for the tournament.
In the regional competition of the African Cup of Nations, the team started contesting from 1963 and has appeared 19 times up until now. In the African Nations Championship, it has qualified three times in 2009, 2011, and the upcoming championship in 2014. Currently the team holds 24th position at World Football Rankings and the highest rank it earned was 14th in 2008. In 2013, the Black Stars became the only African team to qualify for the semi-finals of Confederation of African Football’s African Cup of Nations eight times from 1963 to 1970 (consecutively) and from the year 2008 to 2013 (consecutively).
In Olympics, the duty of representing the country is of the under-23 squad which is known as “Black Meteors”. The best notable record of the team was when they finished at third place in 1992. The team also participated in continental games such as West African Nations Cup, CEDEAO Cup, WAFU Nations Cup and multi-sport events like All Africa Games.
Ghana’s Success Story
In the World Football Cup, the only notable achievement is entering the quarter-finals in 2010. The major success it got was in the African Cup of Nations where it clinched the title four times, twice in a row (1963, 1965) and one in 1978, and last in 1982. The team also finished at second place four times (1968, 1970, 1992, and 2010). The Ghana national football team has remarkable achievements in continental games as well where it became champions five times in the West African Nations Cup and once in West African Football Union (WAFU) Nations Cup. The team also won the All Africa Games once and Four Nations Tournament once. They were bestowed with the African National Team of the Year award three times for an outstanding performance in football. The team is ready to fight against opponents in the upcoming World Football Cup scheduled to be held in Brazil.
Ghana squad |
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| Goalkeepers: | Adam Larsen Kwarasey (Strømsgodset/NOR) Fatau Dauda (Orlando Pirates/RSA) Stephen Adams (Aduana Stars) |
Defenders: | Samuel Inkoom (Platanias/GRE) Daniel Opare (Standard Liege/BEL) Harrison Afful (Esperance/TUN) Jeffery Schlupp (Leicester City/ENG) John Boye (Renne/FRA) Jonathan Mensah (Evian/FRA) Rashid Sumaila (Mamelodi Sundowns/RSA) Jerry Akaminko (Eskisehirspor/TUR) |
| Midfielders: | Michael Essien (AC Milan/ITA) Sulley Ali Muntari (AC Milan/ITA) Rabiu Mohammed (Kuban Krasnodar/RUS) Kwadwo Asamoah (Juventus/ITA) Emmanuel Agyemang Badu (Udinese/ITA) Afriyie Acquah (Parma/ITA) Andre Ayew (Marseille/FRA) Mubarak Wakaso (Rubin Kazan/RUS) Christian Atsu Twasam (Vitesse/NED) Albert Adomah (Middlesbrough/ENG) David Titi Accam (Helsingborg/SWE) |
Forwards: | Asamoah Gyan (Al Ain/UAE) Kevin-Prince Boateng (Schalke/GER) Abdul Majeed Waris (Valenciennes/FRA) Jordan Ayew (Sochaux/FRA) |
Ghana’s Performance in all World Football Cups :
| World Football Cup Year | World Football Cup Hosting Nation | World Football Cup Qualification | Quarter Final Birth | Semi Final Birth | Third Place Secured | Reached Final | Title Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | South Africa | Yes | Yes | No | – | – | – |
| 2006 | Germany | Yes | No | – | – | – | – |
| 2002 | South Korea | No | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1998 | France | No | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1994 | United States | No | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1990 | Italy | No | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1986 | Mexico | No | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1982 | Spain | Withdrew | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1978 | Argentina | No | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1974 | West Germany | No | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1970 | Mexico | No | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1966 | England | Withdrew | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1962 | Chile | No | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1958 | Sweden | Did Not Enter | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1954 | Switzerland | Did Not Enter | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1950 | Brazil | Did Not Enter | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1938 | France | Did Not Enter | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1934 | Italy | Did Not Enter | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1930 | Uruguay | Did Not Enter | – | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 19 World Football Cups | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
