Sports
Black Stars arrive in Providence for final phase of World Cup preparations
Ghana have arrived in Providence, Rhode Island, for the final phase of preparations ahead of their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign. The team departed Virginia on Thursday afternoon and touched down at T.F. Green International Airport in Rhode Island at about 6:00 p.m.
Head Coach Carlos Queiroz and his squad will resume training on Friday as they fine-tune preparations for their opening Group L game against Panama.
The Black Stars wrapped up a week-long training camp in Washington following their international friendly against Wales in Cardiff.
The camp in Virginia included intensive sessions at the American University and D.C. United training ground and a farewell dinner with the Ghanaian community in Alexandria.
Ghana now enters the final stretch of preparation in Providence before heading to Toronto for the June 17 opener against Panama at Toronto Stadium.
The Black Stars will also face England in Boston on June 23 and Croatia in Philadelphia on June 27 to complete Group L.
Queiroz’s 26-man squad features captain Jordan Ayew, Thomas Partey, Iñaki Williams, Antoine Semenyo, and goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi, who is set for his second successive World Cup.
The team is expected to hold training sessions and series of Community engagement programs in Rhode Island in the coming days.
Midfielder Thomas Partey will miss Ghana’s first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Toronto after Canadian authorities refused him entry.
A FIFA statement to The Athletic confirmed the Arsenal star cannot travel from Ghana’s base camp in Boston, USA, for Wednesday’s, June 17, opener against Panama.
“FIFA can confirm that player Thomas Partey will be unable to travel from Ghana’s team base camp in Boston, USA, to Canada for their first match against Panama on Wednesday, 17 June, as his visa application has been refused by the Canadian government,” the statement read.
FIFA stressed it has no role in immigration decisions: “FIFA is not involved in the immigration processes of host countries, including the adjudication of visas. As with previous FIFA events, the host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and is admitted into the country.”
Canadian immigration rules state that “if you have committed or been convicted of a crime, you may not be allowed into Canada.” Partey has been charged with offenses in the UK but is awaiting trial and has not been convicted.
The Black Stars will now have to do without their midfield anchor for the crucial Group E opener against Panama.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Ghana goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi says the Black Stars are very ready and focused on teamwork as they wrap up preparations in Virginia ahead of their 2026 FIFA World Cup opener against Panama on Tuesday.
The St. Gallen shot-stopper, who is set to represent Ghana at his second successive FIFA World Cup, shared his thoughts with ghanafa.org from the team’s training base at the D.C. United training ground.
Here is what he had to say:
On preparations so far It’s been a great experience. 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.
On Coach Carlos Queiroz He’s 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.
On the group 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 As a kid, 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.
On players’ mindset They have to have a positive mindset because it gets to a point when things aren’t going 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 Nervous? 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.
On the strength of the team The strength is fighting for each other and being there as a team. Playing as a team and not just as individuals. The strength is you can see everyone is fighting for each other. 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 previous tournaments We put whatever has happened behind us and we try to focus on this World Cup. Hopefully, we can make very good use of it. For me, it’s not about the names. Everything depends on us. We focus on ourselves and, like I said, we’re giving ourselves good energy. We train well and this is what we’re really focused on.
On approach to Ghana’s group matches 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 their support and their prayers, like always. They should also stay positive. Hopefully, we’re going to make them proud.
