Ghana hires Carlos Queiroz ahead of World Cup campaign

Carlos Queiroz has been named the new head coach of Ghana’s senior national football team, the Black Stars. The veteran manager, who has previously coached Real Madrid, Manchester United, Portugal, and Iran, will spearhead Ghana’s campaign at the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Queiroz, aged 73, is set to commence his duties without delay. Ghana’s inaugural Group L fixture will be against Panama on June 17 at BMO Field in Toronto. This will be followed by a match against England on June 23 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and their final group stage game versus Croatia on June 27 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

Sources within the Ghana Football Association (GFA) indicate that this appointment is a temporary arrangement, spanning the duration of the World Cup, with a review planned post-tournament.

In a statement published on the GFA’s official website, Queiroz remarked, “This transcends a mere professional engagement; it represents a profound mission. I am prepared to dedicate my full experience and expertise once more, in service of the sport and the welfare of people.”

This appointment concludes a two-week search that commenced on March 30 when the GFA relieved Otto Addo of his duties, just hours after a 2-1 friendly defeat to Germany in Stuttgart. This loss marked the Black Stars’ fourth consecutive friendly defeat in their pre-tournament preparations, following losses to Japan, South Korea, and a 5-1 thrashing by Austria in Vienna. Addo, despite guiding Ghana to the tournament with an impressive record of eight wins and one draw in ten qualifying matches, was dismissed 72 days before the World Cup’s opening ceremony.

GFA president Kurt Okraku revealed that the association received over 600 applications within the initial 24 hours of Addo’s departure, despite not issuing any public vacancy announcement.

Queiroz emerged victorious over several prominent contenders for the coaching position.

Slaven Bilic, the 57-year-old Croatian and former manager of West Ham United, had been considered a leading candidate after engaging in direct discussions with the GFA. Bilic famously led Croatia to the quarterfinals of Euro 2008 and spent two seasons managing West Ham in the Premier League.

Herve Renard, a two-time Africa Cup of Nations winner with Zambia in 2012 and Ivory Coast in 2015, was widely perceived as a strong contender. Reports suggest that the GFA might be considering Renard for a more enduring role following the World Cup, which could have influenced the decision to initially structure Queiroz’s contract as short-term.

Kwesi Appiah, currently managing Sudan and a former Black Stars head coach, was frequently mentioned. However, reports suggest that his relationship with Okraku presented a significant hurdle. Other individuals on the shortlist included Tom Saintfiet, the Belgian coach who guided Gambia to a historic AFCON quarterfinal in 2021, and Kim Lars Bjorkgren, a Swedish coach involved in Ghana’s domestic football scene.

Queiroz brings a wealth of World Cup experience to the role, having previously led national teams in five FIFA World Cups.

Born in Mozambique in 1953, he first gained recognition by guiding Portugal’s youth teams to successive FIFA U20 World Cup titles in 1989 and 1991, nurturing a generation of talent that included stars like Luis Figo and Rui Costa. Subsequently, he managed Sporting CP, where he secured the Portuguese Cup in 1995, before taking on coaching roles at the New York/New Jersey MetroStars and Japan’s Nagoya Grampus Eight.

At the club level, his most prominent positions included serving as head coach for Real Madrid during the 2003-04 season, where he won the Spanish Super Cup, and working as Sir Alex Ferguson’s assistant manager at Manchester United across two periods: from 2002 to 2003 and again from 2004 to 2008.

His initial coaching assignment in Africa was with South Africa. Appointed in 2000, he successfully guided Bafana Bafana to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup by finishing atop their CAF qualifying group, notably securing a crucial late victory over Mali. However, he resigned prior to the tournament due to a disagreement with the South African Football Association.

He subsequently managed Portugal’s senior national team from 2008 to 2010, leading them to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. During that tournament, Portugal advanced to the Round of 16 and achieved a remarkable 7-0 win over North Korea in the group stage.

His longest tenure as a national team coach was with Iran, spanning nearly eight years between 2011 and 2019, making him the most enduring coach in the country’s football history. He guided Iran to qualification for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil as unbeaten group winners, and again for the 2018 tournament in Russia, where Iran held Portugal to a 1-1 draw and narrowly missed the knockout stages in a challenging group that also included Spain. He returned for a third World Cup with Iran in 2022 in Qatar, where his team secured a 2-0 victory over Wales but was ultimately eliminated in the group stage after a 6-2 defeat to England and a 1-0 loss to the United States.

Between his stints with Iran, Queiroz took charge of Colombia from 2019 to 2020. Colombia topped their group at the 2019 Copa America with a perfect nine points, including a 2-0 triumph over Argentina, before exiting in the quarterfinals after a penalty shootout. His tenure concluded following a downturn in results during the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, marked by home defeats to Uruguay (3-0) and Ecuador (6-1).

His second African coaching role commenced with Egypt in September 2021. He steered the Pharaohs to the final of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, securing victories over Ivory Coast on penalties in the Round of 16, Morocco 2-1 in the quarterfinal, and host nation Cameroon on penalties in the semifinal. Egypt ultimately lost to Senegal in the final, also via a penalty shootout. This marked the first instance of Queiroz leading a national team to a major tournament final. Subsequently, Egypt suffered a World Cup playoff defeat to Senegal, again on penalties, leading to the mutual termination of his contract.

He had a brief spell managing Qatar in 2023, a contract that concluded by mutual consent after 12 matches. Most recently, he served as the head coach of the Oman national team.

Ghana is preparing for its fifth appearance at the World Cup. The four-time AFCON champions reached the Round of 16 in 2006 during their debut, advanced to the quarterfinals in 2010, and exited at the group stage in both 2014 and 2022.

The Black Stars notably failed to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, marking their first absence from the continental showpiece in 21 years. Their current squad boasts Premier League talent, including Mohammed Kudus from West Ham and Antoine Semenyo of Bournemouth.

Ghana is slated to participate in friendly matches against Mexico and Wales ahead of the main tournament. Queiroz intends to utilize these games to evaluate his squad and finalize the tactical preparations for the World Cup.