Ghana will be hoping to book a place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup when they take on the Central African Republic on Wednesday, October 8.

The Black Stars currently boast a three-point lead in Group I ahead of the fixture against CAR, with victory enough to see them advance into the global showpiece.

Otto Addo’s side has dropped just five points throughout the games played in the qualifiers, coming against Comoros (1-0 loss) and Chad (1-1).

CAR sit fifth on the table with just five points from eight games so far, leaving them out of the race to qualify for the World Cup.

Ghana go into Wednesday’s fixture on the back of a draw against Chad and a 1-0 win over Mali at the Accra Sports Stadium during the September international break, while CAR lost both of their games against Madagascar and Comoros, respectively.

The last meeting between these two teams saw Ghana come from a 2-1 first-half deficit to win 4-3 with Jordan Ayew scoring a hat-trick in the fixture at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi.

The Black Stars are hoping to qualify for the fifth World Cup since 2006, having missed only the 2018 edition during that period.

They followed closely in the group by Madagascar, who play Comoros in their next game, also on Wednesday.

TEAM NEWS

Otto Addo is expected to have a full complement of the squad on Tuesday as he currently has 23 players available. 20 players were involved in the team’s second training session in Casablanca before their departure to Meknes, where they take on CAR.

The gaffer’s 24-man squad has just two new faces, with Kojo Peprah Oppong of OGC Nice and Medeama’s Prince Owusu coming into the team. Abdul Fatawu Issahaku and Alidu Seidu, who suffered long-term injuries to the cruciate ligament, have also returned to the Black Stars fold for the final round of qualifiers.

For CAR, Eugène Ganazoui of AS Douanes is the only new player who has been invited for the October break. Noah Ato-Zandanga of FC Wil, Brad Pirioua (Portogruaro), Sydney Tchibinda (ORB), Vénuste Baboula (NK Bravo), Delphin Mokonou (DFC8), Axel Urie (Sariyer), and Enzo Grothe (Caen B) all make a return to the national team ahead of the two games.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Despite their rich vein of form for their respective clubs, none of Antoine Semenyo, Mohammed Kudus or Abdul Fatawu Issahaku has been involved in more goals for Ghana in the ongoing World Cup qualifiers than Jordan Ayew. The Leicester City man has directly contributed 11 goals in 8 games, scoring six and providing five assists.

Ayew will be looking to add to his tally when Ghana take on CAR in Morocco. Semenyo, Kudus and Issahaku will all be hoping to bring their strong form at the club level to the national team.

HOW DOES GHANA QUALIFY

• The Black Stars will secure early qualification if they beat CAR and Madagascar fail to beat Comoros.
• A draw in the game between Comoros and Madagascar and a win for Ghana will also mean qualification for Otto Addo’s side.

WHERE AND WHEN?

The game against CAR will be played at Stade D’Honneur de Meknes at 16:00 GMT on Wednesday, October 8, 2025.