Group L fixtures
Thu 18 Jun00:00 BST
BMO Field, Toronto
Tue 23 Jun21:00 BST
Gillette Stadium, Boston
Sat 27 Jun22:00 BST
Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
Key players to watch
Jordan Ayew
FW · Leicester City · C
Captain and record cap-holder; experienced, intelligent leader who top-scored in qualifying and carries the side.
Captain · talisman
Antoine Semenyo
FW · Manchester City
In outstanding form after a January move and a Carabao Cup win; pace and power make him Ghana's biggest attacking hope.
Star forward
Iñaki Williams
FW · Athletic Club
Quick, powerful forward and emotional leader who switched allegiance to Ghana; a constant running threat.
Lead forward
Thomas Partey
MF · Villarreal
Vice-captain and defensive-midfield linchpin; brings control and quality to the base of midfield.
Midfield base
Kamaldeen Sulemana
W · Atalanta
Direct, silky winger known for his dribbling; an x-factor option off the flank.
Wide threat
Benjamin Asare
GK · Hearts of Oak
Home-based No.1 who established himself through qualifying; a steady presence in goal.
Goalkeeper
Goals & output
Semenyo, Williams and captain Ayew carry the threat, with Sulemana off the bench. A significant blow is the loss of star attacker Mohammed Kudus to injury, which thins the creativity.
Set-piece duties
Free kicks
Antoine Semenyo
Ayew is the senior penalty option, with Semenyo and others over free kicks and corners shared. Set pieces matter for a side that may see less of the ball against the group's stronger teams.
Discipline read
▲Physical and committed; can be drawn into cards in transition-heavy games.
Recent form
A fifth World Cup for the four-time African champions, back after a group-stage exit in 2022 and missing AFCON 2025. They topped their CAF qualifying group, conceding just six in ten games. In a major late shake-up, vastly experienced Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz replaced Otto Addo roughly 72 days before the tournament after poor friendly results. Star man Mohammed Kudus is injured and out.
Head-to-head history
v Panama (18 Jun)
No prior meetings
A first-ever meeting and a key opener for both in Toronto.
v England (23 Jun)
No competitive meetings
A first competitive meeting (only a past friendly); a chance to test themselves against a favourite in Boston.
v Croatia (27 Jun)
No prior meetings
A first meeting and a potentially decisive final-day game in Philadelphia.
Underdog & betting read
The verdict
A talented dark horse with Premier League-level forwards, but losing Kudus hurts and the late coaching change adds uncertainty. Capable of upsetting anyone on their day; realistic aim is to fight for the knockouts. Each-way interest if they settle quickly.