CDM 2026: Zlatan Ibrahimovic sees Ghana as capable of challenging England and Croatia

The former Swedish football star, Zlatan Ibrahimović, believes that Ghana has the necessary qualities to shake up the hierarchy in Group L of the 2026 World Cup. According to him, the Black Stars can take points against England and Croatia, two of the favorites in the group. The competition began on June 11 in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Ghana, qualified for its fifth World Cup final phase, will kick off on June 17 against Panama before facing England and then Croatia.

Placed in a particularly tough group, the four-time African representative will have to compete against two heavyweights of European football. But for Ibrahimović, the Ghanaian team has the necessary assets to create an upset. “I obviously support Croatia in this tournament. But Ghana is a very talented team, and it will be interesting to see how far they can go. I think England and Croatia are favorites for the top two spots, but Ghana has what it takes to take points from them and defy expectations,” the former striker expressed.

At the same time, the Black Stars continue their preparation in the United States. After a week of training in the Washington area, the Ghanaian squad has moved to Providence, Rhode Island, where they have set up their training camp. The team, led by the Ghanaian coach, will train at Bryant University facilities before flying to Toronto on June 15. They will play their first match of the tournament against Panama on June 17 at BMO Field.

Ghana will approach this World Cup with the ambition of reaching the top again. The West African team dreams of replicating the achievement of 2010, when the Black Stars reached the quarter-finals in South Africa, the best performance in their history in the competition. Since then, the Ghanaians have participated in the 2014, 2022, and 2026 editions without managing to repeat that feat.