Semenyo backs Ghana to reach World Cup knockouts after Qatar group-stage exit

Antoine Semenyo has declared Ghana capable of reaching the knockout rounds of the 2026 World Cup, four years after the Black Stars were eliminated in the group stage in Qatar.

The Manchester City winger, 26, will face England in Ghana’s second group game in Boston and says the squad has the quality to advance despite some injury absences among key players.

“We believe we can cause some upsets ourselves,” Semenyo said. “We have a great group. We are missing some key players through injury but we still have so much talent in the team. It is going to be a tough group and the first target is to get out of that, but we back ourselves against any team, so if we can get into the knockout stages then who knows how far we can go?”

Ghana open their campaign against Panama in Toronto before the high-profile clash with England.

Semenyo’s own trajectory since the last World Cup has been steep. He was playing Championship football for Bristol City in Qatar, before a £10m move to Bournemouth shortly after the tournament. Three strong seasons on the south coast earned him a January transfer to Manchester City, where he contributed to a domestic cup double.

The winger says that personal growth makes him better equipped for the challenge ahead. “To go to the World Cup as a Championship player was a proud moment personally for me,” he said. “That was a great time, but this World Cup I feel more prepared as a player and even more focussed to really do my best.”

Ghana’s 2022 campaign ended with a single point and a bottom-place finish in a group that also contained Portugal, Uruguay, and South Korea. Semenyo is clear that repeating that outcome is not an option. “The last World Cup was disappointing as we didn’t get out of the groups. Our target is to do better than that this time.”