Former Sports Minister Nii Lante Vanderpuye has called on the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to intensify efforts to secure the services of foreign-based players of Ghanaian descent ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

His appeal comes at a time when concerns are growing over the availability of key players, with some, including Mohammed Kudus, reportedly set to miss the World Cup due to injury.

The England-based duo have been the subject of conversation since the Black Stars secured qualification for next year’s global showpiece.

However, both did not feature in the qualifiers nor make their intentions clear about switching allegiance after attempts by the FA over the year

“If the GFA has not worked on how to get Danny Welbeck to play for the Black Stars, we should get him now for the World Cup.

"We need Eddie Nketiah and Callum Hudson-Odoi to play for the Black Stars. We want to have a good team for the World Cup,” he told Citi Sports.

Meanwhile, the GFA is also focused on rebuilding the technical team with attention on appointing a new head coach ahead of the tournament in June.

The Black Stars will face Panama in their Group L opener before subsequent matches against England and Croatia.