Black Stars captain Jordan Ayew has stressed the urgency of securing Ghana’s place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, especially after the team failed to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Ghana’s absence from the upcoming continental showpiece has put added pressure on Otto Addo’s side to perform in the World Cup qualifiers.
“There’s pressure playing for Ghana,” Ayew admitted in an interview with BBC Sport Africa. “We can’t stop people from criticism—it’s part of the game. When the results are not there, the manager and the players get the backlash.”
The Leicester City forward has been instrumental in Ghana’s qualification campaign, scoring four goals so far. His contributions include a hat-trick against the Central African Republic in Kumasi last June, making him Ghana’s top scorer in the qualifiers. Only Egypt’s Mohamed Salah and Trezeguet have scored more, with five goals each after four rounds.
Ayew takes over the captaincy from his brother André Ayew, who was left out of the squad for this month’s qualifiers against Chad and Madagascar.
The 33-year-old acknowledged that leading Ghana comes with significant responsibilities but believes the team has the quality to reach the World Cup.
“With the quality we have, we need to qualify for the World Cup,” he stated. “Hopefully, from these two games, we can show a good image of ourselves and turn things around.”
Ghana currently sits on nine points in Group I after four games and are third in the group. The Black Stars will host Chad in Kumasi on Friday before travelling to Madagascar for their second fixture.
With key players like Thomas Partey, Mohammed Kudus, and Antoine Semenyo in the squad, Ayew is confident that Ghana can secure back-to-back wins to strengthen their qualification hopes.