GHANA TODAY

 You will know why I am writing about this African country football team! The Ghana National Football team is named the Black Stars after the national flag's Black Star!! The team is governed by the Ghana Football Association and prior to 1957, it played known as the Gold Coast.

Ghana qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 2006. It has won the African Nations Cup four times (1963, 1965, 1978, and 1982), while finishing as runners-up five times (1968, 1970, 1992, 2010, and 2015). Ghana have qualified for the CHAN (African Cup of Nations) four times, finishing as runners-up twice (2009 and 2014).

On 19 August 1962 at the Accra Sports Stadium, Ghana hosted Real Madrid, who were at the time Spanish Champions, drawing 3–3. Charles Kumi Gyamfi became coach in 1961, leading Ghana to successive African Cup of Nations titles, in 1963 and 1965. The Black Stars achieved their record win, 13–2 away to Kenya, in the latter. It reached the final of the tournament in 1968 and 1970, losing 1–0 on both occasions, to DR Congo and Sudan respectively. Its domination of the tournament earned it the nickname "the Black Stars of Africa" in the 1960s.

Fortunes changed for the Black Stars after it failed to qualify for three successive AFCON's in the 1970s. In the 1980s, with emerging talents such as Abedi Pele, the Black Stars defeated 1982 AFCON hosts Libya in the final to win its fourth continental title. Fortunes changed again, as in the 1984 tournament, it was knocked out in the group stages, before failing to qualify for the 1986, 1988 and 1990 tournaments. In 1992, the Black Stars would finish runners-up to the Ivory Coast in a penalty shootout after a goalless draw, which saw every player on the pitch take a penalty, in which they were beaten 11-10, with African Footballer of the Year Abedi Pele suspended for the final.

Tensions among the squad led to the parliamentary and executive to intervene and settle issues between players Abedi Pele and Toby Yeboah. In the 1990s, this may have played some part in the failure of the team to build on the successes of the national underage teams. The generation of Black Stars players who went to the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship final became the "core" of the team at the 2002 African Cup of Nations, going undefeated for a year in 2005 and qualifying for the final tournament of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The Black Stars started by succumbing to a 2–0 defeat to eventual champions Italy, and wins over Czech Republic (2–0) and the United States (2–1). This saw it advance through to the second round, where it lost 3–0 to Brazil.

Under head coach Milovan Rajevac, the Black Stars went on to secure a 100% win record in its qualification campaign, winning its group and becoming the first African team to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In the final tournament, it was placed in Group D with Germany, Serbia and Australia, advancing to the round of 16 after finishing second in their group. Ghana played the United States, winning 2–1 in extra time to become only the third African nation to reach the World Cup quarter-finals, before losing to Uruguay in a penalty shootout in the quarter-finals, after Uruguayan forward Luis Suárez blocked a header with his hand in the penalty box in extra time and was sent off. Asamoah Gyan missed the penalty given for the handball, with the score 1–1. Ghana went on to lose the penalty shootout 4–2.

In 2013, Ghana became the first team to reach four consecutive African Cup of Nations semi-finals twice, with the first occasion between 1963 and 1970.

The Black Stars won their second round group of 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying, and defeated Egypt 7–3 on aggregate in a two-legged play-off, qualifying for the finals. It was drawn in Group G for the finals, where it faced Germany, Portugal, and the USA. It exited in the group stage recording one draw against eventual champions Germany and two losses, and was the only team to not lose to Germany in the tournament, and the only team to hold onto a lead against the Germans at any point.

In the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, Ghana reached the final, being denied the title on penalties against Ivory Coast. While its 2017 Africa Cup of Nations campaign ended in a 4th-place finish, it finished behind Egypt and Uganda in its final group qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. 

At the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, Ghana was eliminated by Tunisia in the round of 16. In 2021, manager Rajevac was brought back, and the Black Stars ended up failing to win any match at the AFCON where it lost 2–3 to debutants the Comoros (know where this is?) to finish bottom of their group, failing to progress beyond the group stage for the first time since 2006. 

Ghana drew 0–0 in a match against Nigeria and drew 1–1 in Nigeria to qualify for the 2022 World Cup on goal difference. During the 2022 FIFA World Cup, it lost its first match against Portugal 3–2. Ghana earned a victory in its second match against South Korea by the same scoreline. A victory against Uruguay was required for a spot in the round of 16 in a rematch of the 2010 quarter-final; Ghana instead lost 2–0 and thus finished bottom, while Uruguay was eliminated as well, as a result of South Korea upsetting Portugal. 

Ghana failed to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, for the first time since 2004, as it finished bottom of the group below Angola, Sudan and Nigeria. 

The 2025 World Cup Qualification: in September drew 1-1 away at Chad. Then beat Mali 1-0 at home and the Central African Rep 0-5 away. Next in October beat Comoros 1-0 at home.

2026 World Cup Qualifiers: Ghana 5-0 Chad: Madagascar 0-3 Ghana: Chad v Ghana 1-1: Ghana v Mali 1-1: CAR  v Ghana 0-5: Ghana v Comoros 1-0:

World Cup Ties: 17th June- Toronto: Ghana 1-0 Panama: 23 June- Foxborough: England v Ghana:   27th June- Philadelphia: Croatia v Ghana.