Ghana captain Jordan Ayew has called on the Black Stars to learn from their mistakes after qualifying for the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.The four-time African champions progressed to the Round of 32 despite ending their Group L campaign with a 2-1 defeat by Croatia.The result saw Ghana finish third in the group, setting up a first-ever competitive meeting with Colombia on Saturday.Ayew insisted the defeat had not affected the squad's confidence but acknowledged

Leeds United are weighing up options in the transfer market as they monitor Japan international shot-stopper Zion Suzuki, with the clubâ??s goalkeeping department still far from settled heading into the new season. While interest in Suzuki, whose father is Ghanaian, is understood to be genuine, reports indicate the situation remains at an exploratory stage rather than an active pursuit, with Leeds currently assessing multiple alternatives before making any decisive move. The

Gelson Fernandes has hailed the impact of FIFAâ??s long-term investment in Cape Verdeâ??s football development, describing the island nationâ??s remarkable rise on the international stage as proof of what sustained support and strategic planning can achieve.The FIFA Deputy Director of Member Associations and Regional Director for Africa believes the Blue Sharksâ?? impressive performances at the expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup are the result of years of collaboration between

Brazilian midfielder Fred Rodrigues de Paula Santos believes Ghana's Black Stars can reach the quarter-final of the World Cup in North America. The Black Stars advanced to the Round of 32 of the tournament after finishing third in Group L with four points, and will now face Colombia on Friday in Kansas City.In a video shared on social media, Fred picked Ghana to beat the South Americans before also predicting the Black Stars will defeat Switzerland and then face Argentina

Former Black Stars captain Asamoah Gyan shared an emotional moment with the daughter of later musician Castro de Destroyer during his time in Canada. Gyan was with the Black Stars for their opening game at the 2026 World Cup in Canada, where he caught up with the daughter of his friend.In a touching video shared on social media, Gyan introduced Roselyn to his millions of social media followers, as he reminisced his time with the musician."The daughter of UnderFire, she was

Former Italy and Manchester City star Mario Balotelli has met New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani following his visit to the United States. Balotelli has been in the United States for holidays and has been following the World Cup currently ongoing in America despite the absence of Italy.He recently made a TV appearance wearing the Ghana jersey, showing solidarity to the country of his parents."There is no Italy in the World Cup, so I support Ghana. I am from Ghana, and I'm

Kylian Mbappe has etched his name further into World Cup history, becoming the all-time leading goalscorer in knockout stage matches with his ninth goal in these rounds.The French superstar's brace against Sweden in the round of 32 took him past the previous record of eight goals held jointly by Brazil legends Leonidas (1938) and Ronaldo (1998, 2002).What makes the achievement even more remarkable is that Mbappe has scored nine in exactly nine knockout appearances, a testament

Ousmane Dembele and Kylian Mbappe have combined for six goals at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, making them the most prolific duo in the tournament over the past 60 years.According to Opta, the Paris Saint-Germain teammates have assisted each other six times in France's three group-stage matches â?? four assists from Dembele to Mbappe and two from Mbappe to Dembele. This puts the French pair ahead of any other attacking partnership in the competition since the 1966 World Cup.Dembele

Ghana defender Marvin Senaya has emerged as one of the standout performers of the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage, leading the tournament rankings for tackles won per game.The AJ Auxerre full-back, who switched his international allegiance from Togo to Ghana earlier this year, has been a defensive rock for the Black Stars in North America. According to Sofascore, Senaya averages an impressive 6.0 tackles per game -  comfortably ahead of some of the world's most celebrated

Ivory Coast winger Amad Diallo has stressed the importance of learning from the experience of participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, despite the Elephantsâ?? Round of 32 elimination. The Manchester United forward enjoyed a good tournament with his national team, scoring twice in four matches.He climbed off the bench to score the winning goal for Ivory Coast in their opening match against Ecuador, before netting the teamâ??s consolation goal in the 2-1 loss to Norway in

Ivory Coast head coach Emerse Faé has praised his players despite the painful 2-1 defeat to Norway in the Round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup.The coach was left rueing missed chances on Tuesday after the Elephants suffered a narrow defeat to their European opponent.On the matchday, goals from Antonio Nusa and Erling Haaland did the trick for Norway, with Amad Dialloâ??s stunning strike only serving as a consolation for the Ivorians.Speaking to beIN SPORTS in a post-match interview,

Kylian Mbappé delivered another world-class performance on Tuesday night, scoring twice as France cruised to a dominant 3-0 victory over Sweden in the Round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.France created chances throughout the contest and eventually overwhelmed Sweden with their pace, movement, and attacking quality to secure a place in the Round of 16, where they will now face Paraguay.France thought they had taken the lead in the 21st minute when Mbappe found the net. Unfortunately,

The Dutch press has overwhelmingly acknowledged that Morocco fully deserved their dramatic victory over the Netherlands, with several leading outlets admitting that the Atlas Lions were the superior side throughout Monday's enthralling Round of 32 encounter in Monterrey.After Morocco triumphed 3-2 on penalties following a 1-1 draw, Dutch broadcaster NOS delivered perhaps the clearest verdict of all."The victory was deserved, Morocco was the better team," NOS concluded

Erling Haaland scored his fifth goal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Tuesday as Norway edged Ivory Coast 2-1 in a tense Round of 32 encounter at AT&T Stadium to book their place in the Round of 16.The Manchester City striker played the full 90 minutes and delivered when it mattered most, striking late to secure a hard-fought victory for the Norwegians.Ivory Coast started brightly and nearly capitalised on an early opening when Nicolas Pépé found space inside the box,

Morocco defender Issa Diop has called on the Atlas Lions to remain focused and avoid getting carried away after their dramatic penalty-shootout victory over the Netherlands secured a place in the World Cup Round of 16 against Canada.The Fulham centre-back emerged as Morocco's hero in Monterrey, rising to head home a stoppage-time equaliser in the 91st minute and force extra time after Cody Gakpo had given the Dutch the lead. Morocco eventually prevailed 3-2 on penalties, with

Slovenian side FC Koper have completed the signing of Italian-Ghanaian defender Giuseppe Agyemang on a two-year contract following his departure from Novara.The 24-year-old arrives with valuable experience in Italyâ??s lower divisions and is expected to add depth and versatility to Koperâ??s back line.Agyemang spent the previous campaign with Novara in Serie C, where he established himself as a dependable option at left-back. Comfortable in advanced wide positions as well,

Former Netherlands midfielder Rafael van der Vaart has praised Morocco following the Oranjeâ??s dramatic exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, admitting the Atlas Lions were the superior side throughout their Round of 32 clash.The Dutch were knocked out after suffering a 3-2 penalty shootout defeat following a tense 1-1 draw after regular and extra time, with Morocco once again showing resilience and composure under pressure to continue their impressive run in the tournament.Van

Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams has defended the government's World Cup ticket distribution system, insisting that a rigorous process prevented any embezzlement of tickets meant for Ghanaian fans.Speaking on Sporty FM's Sporty Breakfast, Adams detailed the measures put in place to ensure transparency in the allocation of 2,922 tickets for the Black Stars' three group-stage matches."The system I put in place was so rigorous that those in charge of the

Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams has declared that the Black Stars remain firmly focused on winning the 2026 FIFA World Cup, despite the tournament reaching the knockout stage.Speaking on Sporty FM's Sporty Breakfast, Adams outlined the team's progression through the competition and expressed unwavering belief in their ability to go all the way."When we started, we were 48, and we were confident that we are also chasing the trophy. Now the numbers have been

Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi has fired a warning shot ahead of his sideâ??s Round of 16 clash against co-hosts Canada at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, insisting the Atlas Lions are ready to continue their impressive run in the tournament.Fresh from their dramatic penalty shootout victory over the Netherlands, Morocco head into the knockout stages full of momentum after one of their most hard-fought wins of the competition so far.Ouahbi, however, is fully aware that the challenge