Ghana World Cup 2022 Predictions, Squad, Manager & Odds

The Black Stars are back on the World Cup stage after missing the 2018 edition, and with an influx of new dual-national players locked down, are set to embark upon a new chapter in their footballing history under a manager who knows exactly what it means to represent his nation on the biggest stage. 

Who is the Ghana manager?

After a dreadful AFCON campaign at the turn of the year where they were eliminated in the group stages for the first time in over 15 years, Ghana parted ways with manager Milovan Rajevac, the architect of their famous 2010 World Cup campaign, and replaced him with Otto Addo - who played for the Black Stars in their first ever World Cup appearance in 2006. 

The change worked - with Ghana beating a very impressive Nigeria side on away goals in the CAF playoffs to secure their spot in Qatar. 

But recent performances have not been great, and so there are already questions being asked about the man at the helm, and there is a general cloud of pessimism about genuine chances to impress at this tournament. 

What tactics can we expect from them at the World Cup?

It’s quite hard to fully pin down exactly how Ghana are going to start this World Cup, because in his eight matches in charge, Addo has used four very distinct tactical setups, but he seems to have settled recently on a 4-2-3-1, a system that depends on a solid defensive core and the ability of his wide players to execute fast breaks into opposition territory.

His defence is relatively conservative, but Addo appears to favour a slightly more pragmatic approach with the transitional play carried out by those further up the field. In this regard, Rennes’ Kamaldeen Sulemana is going to be crucial. 

After a decent first season in France that was ended prematurely by injury, Sulemana remains one of the most exciting young wide talents in this squad.

Who are the players to watch for Ghana?

In Kudus, Ghana have one of the gems of the European football scene - he has lit this season up for his club side, Ajax, being played out of position as a centre-forward - something he has been relatively vocal about despite his ten goals already this campaign. 

There’s a good chance that he plays deeper here, perhaps even so far back as in the midfield pivot, but Kudus is so versatile and so talented that it matters little. 

Between the lines, Kudus shines. Press-resistant and with exceptional ball-carrying ability, Ghana will look to him in order to link the midfield and attack, combining his dribbling skill with an eye for a pass. 

If Ghana are going to progress, the chances are that Kudus will be crucial to it - even if he’s not playing in the same goalscoring role that he has been for Ajax.

Who is favourite to be top scorer for Ghana?

That role will fall to Iñaki Williams instead. He might be new to the Ghanaian football scene, but there’s no doubting his goalscoring credentials. Having not missed a game for over six years at Athletic Club, the Bilbao-born striker is a wonderful player with a sensational work rate and an eye for goal who switched allegiances to Ghana this summer after making one senior non-competitive cap for Spain - who his brother Nico plays for. 

Ghana will look to slide through balls in behind the defence for Williams to latch onto - he’s most effective running in behind the defence where his explosive pace means he’s near impossible to catch, and his finishing ability is best served - he remains a brilliant marksman in 1-on-1 situations with the goalkeeper. 

How did Ghana qualify for the World Cup?

To get to qualification playoffs, Ghana navigated a group consisting of Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and South Africa - the latter of whom they edged out in a thrilling final day where they edged out their rivals on goals scored after a controversial penalty decision went their way. 

What are the ambitions for this Ghana team?

There have been two national days of fasting and prayer declared in Ghana ahead of the World Cup, so that shows you how seriously both the government and the general populace are taking things. But whilst some executives at the Ghanaian FA have declared they could win the whole thing, Ghana feel like underdogs coming into the tournament.

Making it out of a group that includes old foes Uruguay, a very talented Portugal side and a South Korea team spearheaded by one of the world’s best players would be a serious achievement given recent results, and whilst this does feel like a new chapter for the Black Stars, it may not have enough ink in it yet to mount a serious challenge into the latter stages. 

Ghana World Cups Odds

At 750/1, the odds agree that this looks like a serious challenge, and one that might have just about come to soon for Ghana to overcome; but with a smattering of players excelling at the top level and a new structure in place, the Black Stars could yet have their say in Qatar. 

Ghana World Cup prediction by oddschecker

Given the challenging group that Ghana find themselves in for this campaign, their qualification prospects look slim and the 1/3 available for them to be knocked out in the group stages looks fair value, especially given they are as short as 5/1 elsewhere.