Ghana’s head coach, Otto Addo, shared his thoughts with FIFA after the Black Stars' successful World Cup qualifying matches against Mali and the Central African Republic.
On June 6th, 2024, Ghana edged Mali 2-1 in a hard-fought contest, followed by a dramatic 4-3 win over the Central African Republic four days later. These results have positioned Ghana second in Group I, level with Comoros on 9 points.
Reflecting on the team’s preparation in an interview with FIFA, Addo remarked, "It’s always difficult at national level because the boys come from all parts of the world, from different cultures with different philosophies and different ideas. It's very, very difficult to get that together in one week, to share the same ideas of how we should play. But I think we had a good atmosphere, the players tried to adapt and tried to jump into my philosophy, while some already knew me and that made it easier."
Addo credited pre-tournament discussions with captain Thomas Partey and star player Mohammed Kudus for helping unify the squad.
"I talked to a lot of players on the phone about how things should be and I was really, really happy that we prepared well and delivered in the games. They were close and tough matches, but in the end we succeeded and I was very happy with that," he said. Addo emphasized that these wins are important for building the team’s confidence moving forward.