John Paintsil evaluates Ghana's chances of qualifying for the World Cup

Published on: 01 July 2021

Former Ghana defender John Paintsil believes the Black Stars will qualify for next year's World Cup in Qatar.

After missing out on the 2018 edition in Russia, Ghana has set its eyes on winning a spot at the global event.

Ghana will compete in the second round of qualifiers against South Africa, Ethiopia, and Zimbabwe for a spot in the series' third and final phase.

"For me, we have good players and a higher chance of qualifying for the World Cup if we do well," former Fulham and West Ham United right-back Paintsil, who played a key role as Ghana qualified for their first World Cup tournament in 2006, told Citi TV. He also featured at the final tournament.

“We have good players and I think we are going to have a good tournament.

“It all depends on the players and the management, we need to come together and work as a team and go out there to deliver."

Ghana, which is also aiming for the Africa Cup of Nations championship in Cameroon next year, will begin the qualifying series with a home match against Ethiopia in September, only a few days before traveling to South Africa.

The Black Stars will host Zimbabwe in their final encounter of the first round.

“The target is to bring the cup home by winning the Afcon 2022. We must go a step further than our second-placed finishes in 1992, 2010 and 2015 and end the 40-year drought for a title,” Ghana president Akufo-Addo said in April.

"We must also reach at least the semi-finals of the World Cup in Qatar. Our exploits in 2010, where we reached the quarter-finals in South Africa, tell us that once prepared, we have the quality and the talent to match any of the best teams in the world.

“The task might seem daunting, but it is exactly not insurmountable."

The Black Stars made their final World Cup appearance in Brazil in 2014

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