Mohammed Kudus headlines a 24-man Black Stars squad named by head coach Carlos Queiroz for Ghana’s opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Côte d'Ivoire and The Gambia, as well as an international friendly against Morocco.

Kudus returns after missing the 2026 FIFA World Cup through injury. He has recovered from an injury that kept him sidelined for seven months.

France-based Nathaniel Adjei also returns after almost a year away from the national team, following his form for Lorient in French Ligue 1.

Ibrahim Osman of Brighton and Hove Albion and Sassuolo’s Ibrahim Sulemana have also been recalled.

Two players receive first call-ups

Jan Gyamerah of SV Elversberg and Ronald Donkor of New York Red Bulls are the two new players in the squad.

Gyamerah, a right-back, has made four appearances for SV Elversberg in the 2026/27 Bundesliga 2 season.

He has previously played for Kaiserslautern, Nürnberg, Hamburger SV and VfL Bochum.

Donkor earns his first international call-up after impressing for New York Red Bulls.

He began his career at the JMG Football Academy in Mali and later played for Guidars FC before joining New York Red Bulls in May 2023.

The two players are expected to arrive in Ghana in the coming days to join the squad.

Goalkeepers retain their places

Accra Hearts of Oak goalkeeper Benjamin Asare maintains his place in the squad alongside Lawrence Ati-Zigi and Joseph Anang.

The squad also includes players from Ghana's recent World Cup campaign.

Queiroz sets AFCON qualification as priority

Queiroz said the immediate priority is to qualify for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, while beginning preparations for the 2030 World Cup.

“Hands on the present, eyes on the future. The priority is very clear: absolute focus on AFCON qualification, with our eyes set on the 2030 World Cup,” he said.

“This is the moment to start building the team for 2030, a team truly capable of honouring Ghana’s extraordinary World Cup legacy.”

The Portuguese coach said Ghana must remain ambitious but humble, noting that the team must first qualify for the tournament before discussing winning it.

“We must have ambition, but also humility. We know our recent history and we cannot talk about winning AFCON when we have not yet qualified. We have to work, grow, compete and earn our destiny,” he said.

Queiroz explains squad selection

The coach said the technical team monitored the players before making the selection.

He said players are generally expected to be active for their clubs, physically prepared and ready to play for the national team.

“Our technical staff carried out our usual in-depth monitoring of the players. The limitations or periods of inactivity affecting some players are also well known,” he said.

“There is always one general principle that we consider fundamental at this stage, except in exceptional circumstances: players should be in competitive action, physically prepared and fully ready to play for the national team.”

Queiroz also said the World Cup experience helped the technical team understand the players better.

“We worked intensively on the entire process we went through during the World Cup. It was an experience that gave us a deep understanding of the players, their qualities and their character,” he said.

“I am a very proud coach to be part of this group.”

Ghana's upcoming fixtures

Ghana will travel to face Côte d'Ivoire on Thursday, September 24.

The Black Stars will then host The Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium on Tuesday, September 29.

They will travel to Morocco for an international friendly against the Atlas Lions on Sunday, October 4, 2026.

Queiroz said every training session and match must contribute to the development of the team.

“We must be humble, understand where we are and recognise that, if we want to compete with the best, it is not enough to work as hard as they do. We have to work even harder and better,” he said.