Afenyo-Markin backs Black Stars to exceed 2026 World Cup expectations with proper motivation

Minority leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin beleives the Black Stars can surpass expectations ahead of the 2026 World Cup if they are well motivated. Ghana will come up against Panama, England and Croatia in Group L in the Mundial slated to be hosted across the USA, Canada and Mexico this summer.With expectations low ahead of the tournament, theMinority Leader said Ghana possesses the quality and talent needed to make a significant impact at the tournament in North America.He, however, stressed that success will largely depend on the level of preparation, motivation and incentives provided to the players and technical team.According to the Effutu Member of Parliament, Ghanaian teams have historically exceeded expectations whenever the right structures and motivation have been put in place.They need to be properly motivated. The incentives that are supposed to be in place must be in place. When a Ghanaian team is properly composed and well motivated, they go beyond expectations, he told TV3.Reflecting on Ghanas memorable run at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Afenyo-Markin recalled how close the Black Stars came to reaching the semi-finals for the first time in African football history.Ghana reached the quarter-finals before suffering a heartbreaking elimination against Uruguay following Asamoah Gyans dramatic penalty miss.Ghana has great potential when it comes to football. We know what we did in South Africa, where we crossed the round of 16 stage and were almost there. But for the penalty miss by Asamoah Gyan, we would have reached the semi-finals, he added.The Black Stars will begin their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign in Toronto on June 17 against Panama before facing England and Croatia in Group L.Ahead of the tournament, Carlos Queirozs side will step up preparations with international friendlies against Mexico later this month and Wales on June 2.After a back-to-back group phase elimination in 2014 and 2022 in Brazil and Qatar, respectively, the Black Stars are aiming to improve their performance at the tournament.



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