Ghana appoints Carlos Queiroz in preparation for World Cup tournament.

Ghana has appointed Carlos Queiroz as the head coach of the senior national team, the Black Stars. The former coach of Real Madrid, Manchester United, Portugal, and Iran will oversee Ghana’s efforts at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will take place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Queiroz, aged 73, will commence his duties immediately. Ghana’s first match in Group L is against Panama on June 17 at BMO Field in Toronto, followed by a game against England on June 23 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and a match against Croatia on June 27 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

Sources affiliated with the GFA indicated that the appointment is intended as a short-term arrangement through the World Cup, with plans for reassessment following the tournament.

This decision concludes a two-week search that began when the GFA terminated Otto Addo’s contract on March 30, shortly after a 2-1 friendly defeat to Germany in Stuttgart. This loss marked the Black Stars’ fourth consecutive defeat in their pre-tournament preparations, following setbacks against Japan, South Korea, and Austria, the latter being a 5-1 loss in Vienna. Addo, who had successfully qualified Ghana for the tournament by winning eight and drawing one of ten qualifying matches, was dismissed 72 days prior to the World Cup’s opening ceremony.

GFA president Kurt Okraku revealed that the association received over 600 applications within the first 24 hours after Addo’s exit, despite not publicly soliciting candidates.

Queiroz outperformed several notable candidates for the position.

Slaven Bilic, the 57-year-old Croatian and former West Ham United manager, had emerged as a leading candidate after engaging in direct discussions with the GFA. Bilic previously managed Croatia at Euro 2008, where he reached the quarterfinals, and spent two seasons in the Premier League with West Ham.

Herve Renard, who led Zambia to victory in the Africa Cup of Nations in 2012 and Ivory Coast in 2015, was also seen as a strong contender. Reports suggest that the GFA may consider Renard for a longer-term position after the tournament, which could have influenced the decision to frame the initial appointment as a short-term contract.

Kwesi Appiah, currently managing Sudan and a former head coach of the Black Stars, was frequently mentioned. However, sources indicate that his relationship with Okraku presented a significant hurdle. Tom Saintfiet, the Belgian coach who guided Gambia to a historic AFCON quarterfinal in 2021, and Kim Lars Bjorkgren, a Swedish coach involved in Ghana’s domestic setup, were also included in the shortlist.

Queiroz brings a wealth of World Cup experience to the role, having managed national teams at five FIFA World Cups.

Born in Mozambique in 1953, he first gained recognition by coaching Portugal’s youth teams to consecutive FIFA U20 World Cup titles in 1989 and 1991, nurturing a generation that included Luis Figo and Rui Costa. He later managed Sporting CP, where he secured the Portuguese Cup in 1995, before taking charge of the New York/New Jersey MetroStars and Japan’s Nagoya Grampus Eight.

At the club level, his most notable positions were as head coach of Real Madrid during the 2003-04 season, where he won the Spanish Super Cup, and as Sir Alex Ferguson’s assistant manager at Manchester United during two periods from 2002 to 2003 and 2004 to 2008.

His first coaching role in Africa was with South Africa. Appointed in 2000, he led Bafana Bafana to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup by finishing first in their CAF qualifying group, which included a crucial late victory over Mali. He resigned before the tournament due to a disagreement with the South African Football Association.

He managed Portugal’s senior team from 2008 to 2010, guiding them to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where they reached the Round of 16 and achieved a 7-0 win over North Korea in the group stage.

His longest tenure with a national team was with Iran, where he served for nearly eight years from 2011 to 2019, making him the longest-serving coach in the country’s football history. He successfully qualified Iran for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil as unbeaten group winners and again for the 2018 tournament in Russia, where Iran drew 1-1 with Portugal and narrowly missed advancing from a group that included Spain and Portugal. He returned for a third World Cup with Iran in 2022 in Qatar, where the team defeated Wales 2-0 but was eliminated in the group stage after a 6-2 loss to England and a 1-0 defeat to the United States.

Between his stints with Iran, Queiroz managed Colombia from 2019 to 2020. Colombia topped their group at the 2019 Copa America with a perfect nine points, including a 2-0 victory over Argentina, before being eliminated in the quarterfinals on penalties. His tenure ended amid declining results during the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, which included home losses to Uruguay (3-0) and Ecuador (6-1).

His second coaching position in Africa came with Egypt in September 2021. He led the Pharaohs to the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations final in Cameroon, overcoming Ivory Coast on penalties in the Round of 16, defeating Morocco 2-1 in the quarterfinals, and winning against host nation Cameroon on penalties in the semifinal. Egypt lost to Senegal in the final, also on penalties. This marked the first occasion Queiroz had led a national team to a major tournament final. Egypt subsequently lost a World Cup playoff to Senegal, again on penalties, leading to the mutual termination of his contract.

He briefly managed Qatar in 2023, but that contract ended by mutual agreement after 12 matches. Most recently, he served as the head coach of the Oman national team.

Ghana will be making their fifth appearance at the World Cup. The four-time AFCON champions reached the Round of 16 in 2006 during their tournament debut, advanced to the quarterfinals in 2010, and were eliminated in the group stage in 2014 and 2022.

The Black Stars did not qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, marking their first absence from the continental championship in 21 years. Their current squad features Premier League players Mohammed Kudus of West Ham and Antoine Semenyo of Bournemouth.

Ghana is set to play friendly matches against Mexico and Wales prior to the tournament. Queiroz will utilize these games to evaluate his squad and finalize tactical strategies for the World Cup.