Former Vice President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), George Afriyie, believes Ghana are capable of pulling off a surprise result against England ahead of their second Group L fixture at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Ghana opened their campaign with a narrow 1-0 victory over Panama on Wednesday night, courtesy of a late strike from Caleb Yirenkyi.
The result handed the four-time African champions three points and second place in the group behind England, who defeated Croatia 4-2 in their opening match.
Speaking on Adom FM, Afriyie said Ghana’s recent progress and wider trends at the World Cup show that no team should be considered untouchable.
He pointed to several results involving traditionally strong nations as evidence that underdogs can compete on the biggest stage.
“We all know the pedigree of Portugal in international football, but if Congo can draw with Portugal, then Ghana can draw with England or even beat them,” he said. “We all know the pedigree of Brazil, and if Morocco can draw with Brazil, then it can happen in the Ghana-England game as well.”
Afriyie, who has previously served on the Black Stars Management Committee and was part of Ghana’s backroom leadership during multiple major tournaments, stressed the importance of belief within the squad.
“Big names do not always guarantee results,” he noted, adding that African teams have shown increasing competitiveness against established football powers.
He also highlighted the performances of several African sides at the tournament as further proof that the gap at the top level is narrowing.
“We should not underestimate ourselves. England is beatable,” he said. “These young boys are determined to make history.”
Afriyie added that his role is to motivate rather than criticise the team publicly, insisting that encouragement is key at this stage of the competition.
Ghana will face England on June 23 at Gillette Stadium, before concluding their Group L campaign against Croatia four days later, with qualification to the knockout stages firmly in sight.
