Ghana has unveiled the Black Challenge’s 20-player provisional squad for the 2026 Amputee Football World Cup. The tournament is scheduled for 13–22 November in San Juan de los Lagos, Mexico, where Ghana will meet Angola, Colombia and Iraq in Group D. The final tournament squad will be reduced to 15 players. gbcghanaonline.com
The squad includes three goalkeepers and 17 outfield players from clubs and programmes in Ghana and Türkiye. Among those selected are goalkeepers Razak Seidu, Atsu Abor and Richmond Fosu, alongside outfield players including Yussif Yahaya, Richard Arthur Opentil and Emmanuel Osei Kwadwo. The selections remain provisional as the team completes its preparations. gbcghanaonline.com
At the unveiling in Accra, Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams called for corporate support before the competition. Ghana Broadcasting Corporation reported a US$500,000 sponsorship pledge from Gold Fields, with US$250,000 expected to go towards World Cup preparations. National Paralympic Committee president Samson Deen also announced planned payments of GH¢10,000 to each player and GH¢5,000 to each official under the Target the Podium initiative. The team is expected to hold a final training camp in Türkiye before travelling to Mexico. gbcghanaonline.com
An established African contender
Ghana arrives with a strong recent record. The Black Challenge won the African amputee football title in 2021 and retained it in 2024. Between those victories, the team won gold at the inaugural African Para Games in Accra in 2023. The 2024 continental title secured qualification for this World Cup. gbcghanaonline.com
Group D will test that record against another African side, Angola, as well as Colombia and Iraq. The draw also gives Ghana an opportunity to demonstrate the standard of African amputee football on a global stage. For the players, the immediate priorities are preparation, travel and earning a place in the final 15.
Where O&P and rehabilitation fit
The competition has a specific equipment distinction relevant to O&P readers: in the World Amputee Football Federation’s international format, outfield players use forearm crutches, while goalkeepers have an upper limb difference. Under the federation’s published laws, artificial limbs are removed for play. Match performance should therefore not be presented as a test of a player’s prosthetic limb. World Ampute Football Federation
O&P and rehabilitation professionals can still contribute to an athlete’s life around the pitch. Daily prosthetic fit, mobility outside training, residual-limb health and access to timely assessment remain relevant, while the demands of training on crutches call for attention to comfort and equipment condition. Those are general service considerations, rather than details of the Black Challenge’s reported support arrangements.
Ghana’s squad announcement puts accomplished athletes at the centre of the story. The forthcoming World Cup will show how far the Black Challenge can take its continental success; sustained backing before and after Mexico will help determine the opportunities available to the team beyond one tournament.
- Ghana Broadcasting Corporation: Black Challenge squad unveiling
- Ghana Broadcasting Corporation: 20-player provisional squad
- World Amputee Football Federation: What is amputee football?