Black Stars captain, Andre Ayew has been dropped from Otto Addo's 26-man squad to face Mali and Central African Republic in crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches next month.

Addo, who unveiled his squad on Wednesday at a press briefing, explained that he had a lengthy chat with the Ghana record appearance holder ahead of the decision, but refused to make those public.

"I had a long chat with Andre and gave him the reason why he is not in the squad," he said.

"I talk to players directly and I don't like to put information out about what we spoke about.

"This is the decision we took and it's not like he necessarily agreed, but I still have big respect for him."

Ayew, 34, has scored 5 goals in 19 league appearances for French Ligue 1 side, Le Havre this season.

Ghana, currently 4th on the table with three points, face Mali in Bamako on June 6 before hosting the Central African Republic in Kumasi on June 10.

See the Ghana squad below:

Goalkeepers: Lawrence Ati-Zigi (St Gallen), Jojo Wollacot (Hibernian FC), Frederick Asare (Asante Kotoko)

Defenders: Gideon Mensah (AJ Auxerre),Ebenezer Annan (FK Novi Pazar), Mohammed Salisu (AS Monaco), Jerome Opoku (Istanbul Basaksehir), Abdul Mumin (Rayo Vallecano), Alexander Djiku (Fenerbahce Istanbul), Alidu Seidu (Stade Rennes), Tariq Lamptey (Brighton & Hove Albion).

Midfielders: Mohammed Kudus (West Ham United), Ernest Nuamah (Olympique Lyon), Salis Abdul Samed (RC Lens), Ibrahim Sulemana (Cagliari Calcio), Edmund Addo (FK Radnicki Nis), Thomas Partey (FC Arsenal), Elisha Owusu ( AJ Auxerre), Abu Francis (Cercle Brugge).

Forwards: Osman Bukari (RS Belgrade), Issahaku Abdul Fatawu (Leicester City, loan from  Sporting CP), Antoine Semenyo (Bournemouth), Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace), Ibrahim Osman (FC Nordsjaelland), Kamaldeen Sulemana (FC Southampton), Brandon Thomas-Asante (West Bromwich).