England's World Cup opponents sack manager just weeks before tournament in surprise move

Ed Griffiths
Tue, 31 Mar 2026 07:39:38 +0000

Ghana have dismissed Otto Addo as manager of the Black Stars with just 72 days remaining until the 2026 World Cup kicks off in North America.

The Ghana Football Association confirmed the 50-year-old's departure on Tuesday morning, mere hours after a 2-1 friendly loss to Germany in Stuttgart.

Deniz Undav's late strike sealed the hosts' victory after Leicester winger Abdul Fatawu had equalised for the visitors.

The GFA stated it had "parted ways" with Addo "effective immediately" and expressed gratitude for his contributions to the national team, wishing him well in future endeavours.

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The Stuttgart defeat extended Ghana's dismal run, which has seen it lose four matches in succession.

Last Friday brought an even more humiliating result, with Austria hammering the Black Stars 5-1 in Vienna.

Those losses followed defeats against Japan and South Korea during November's international window.

Despite boasting Premier League quality in the form of Manchester City winger Antoine Semenyo and Tottenham forward Mohammed Kudus, Addo was unable to guide Ghana to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

The four-time African champions' failure to qualify for the continental tournament was a significant blow to a nation with such a proud footballing heritage.

Addo's second stint in charge yielded eight victories, five draws and nine defeats across 22 matches.

The Hamburg-born coach had previously led Ghana on an interim basis throughout much of 2022, guiding them at the Qatar World Cup, where they defeated South Korea before exiting at the group stage.

His playing career included a Bundesliga title with Borussia Dortmund, and he later worked in talent development before returning to international management in March 2024.

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Addo earned 15 caps for Ghana as a player and featured at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

He succeeded Chris Hughton in the role following his earlier departure.

Ghana's World Cup campaign begins against Panama in Toronto on June 18 before a crucial encounter with England five days later in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

The Black Stars will conclude their Group L fixtures against Croatia in Philadelphia on June 27.

Whoever takes charge will have pre-tournament friendlies against Mexico and Wales on May 22 and June 2, respectively, to prepare the squad.

The GFA indicated it would "communicate the new technical direction of the Black Stars in due course".

However, it offered no details regarding potential candidates or the reasoning behind Addo's dismissal.

Ghana have qualified for the World Cup for the fifth time in their history.