Ghana’s national amputee football team, the Black Challenge, have named a 15-man squad for the 2026 Men’s Amputee Football World Cup in Mexico, with head coach Stephen Richard Obeng preparing his team for departure on Tuesday, November 10.
The squad, comprising three goalkeepers and 12 outfield players, will represent Ghana at the 10-day competition scheduled for November 13 to 22 in San Juan de los Lagos, Mexico.
Obeng has selected Abor Atsu, Ofosu Richmond and Seidu Razak as the three goalkeepers, while the outfield contingent are: Richard Arthur Opentil, Sampson Larbi Sarfo, Richard Ekwam, Fuseini Iddi, Hamza Mohammed, Mohammed Mubarik, Yussif Yahaya, Isaac Kwabena Eshun, Timothy Hayford, Joseph Baidoo, Emmanuel Allotey and Prince Nyarko.
Duodo Nana Agyiri will serve as assistant coach to Obeng as the technical team seeks to guide Ghana through a challenging tournament featuring 24 national teams from Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas.
The Black Challenge head into the competition with financial backing from Gold Fields Ghana, while the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has reiterated its commitment to supporting the team in collaboration with the National Amputee Football Association of Ghana and the Ministry of Sports and Recreation.
Ghana Face Former Champions in Group D
Ghana have been drawn in Group D alongside Angola, Colombia and Iraq, setting up a difficult route to the knockout stages.
The Black Challenge will begin their campaign against Angola on Saturday, November 14, a day after the tournament’s opening matches. The encounter will take place at San Martin in San Juan de los Lagos.
Angola will arguably present Ghana’s biggest challenge in the group, having established themselves as one of the leading nations in amputee football. They won the World Cup in 2018, also in Mexico, before finishing as runners-up to Türkiye in the 2022 edition.
The Black Challenge will return to action again the following day, Sunday, November 15, against Colombia at Santa Lucia 1 before concluding their group-stage fixtures against Iraq on Monday, November 16, at Santa Lucia 2.
Ghana will therefore need to produce disciplined performances across their three group matches to secure progression and keep their ambitions of a historic World Cup triumph alive.
Black Challenge Chase Historic World Cup Achievement
Despite their impressive achievements on the African continent, the Black Challenge are yet to win the global title, making the Mexican tournament another opportunity to establish themselves among the world’s leading amputee football nations.
Ghana have previously competed at the World Cup, with their best recorded performance coming at the 2010 edition in Argentina, where they finished sixth.
They also featured at the 2012 tournament in Kaliningrad, Russia, but suffered a 2-1 defeat to Argentina in their final group match, missing out on a historic semi-final qualification.
Ghana had also qualified for the 2018 competition in Mexico but withdrew before the tournament because of financial difficulties.
Their continental achievements, however, provide a strong foundation heading into the 2026 championship.
The Black Challenge won the African Amputee Football Championship in 2021, claimed gold at the inaugural African Para Games in Accra in 2023 and successfully defended their continental crown at the 2024 African Amputee Football Cup of Nations in Cairo.
Their 2024 triumph came through a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Morocco in the final, a result that secured Ghana’s qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
With a proven record of success in African competitions and renewed institutional and financial backing, Obeng’s side will be hoping to translate their continental dominance into a memorable performance in Mexico.
For Ghana, the immediate objective will be to navigate a demanding Group D, but the ultimate ambition is to improve on their previous World Cup showing and challenge for the country’s first global amputee football title.
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