The Ghana Football Association (GFA) is reportedly not planning to extend Black Stars head coach Carlos Queiroz’s contract, even though many in the football community want the experienced Portuguese coach to stay.
Queiroz became Ghana’s head coach in April on a short-term contract before the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. At 73, he signed a four-month deal mainly to lead the Black Stars at the tournament.
Ghana’s World Cup run ended in the Round of 32, but Queiroz led the Black Stars to the knockout stages for the first time since the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. This achievement was widely praised.
Because of his strong World Cup performance, supporters and football officials have called for the former Real Madrid manager to get a longer contract and keep rebuilding the national team.
After Ghana was eliminated, Queiroz seemed to suggest he might leave in a social media post. Later, he explained in an interview that his comments were misunderstood and he had not confirmed he was leaving.
President John Dramani Mahama also publicly supported the Portuguese coach and urged the authorities to keep him as head coach.
During a visit to Ho Sports Stadium in July, Mahama said keeping the same coach would give the Black Stars a better chance to compete for major trophies.
“I’m sure that if we keep this team, and we persuade coach Carlos Queiroz to continue to work with the team, by the time of the next AFCON and the next World Cup, we’ll have a team that can claim the championship in either of those two competitions,” Mahama said.
Even though there is interest in keeping him, reports say contract talks have stalled over demands, so Queiroz’s future with the team is still unclear.
Adding to the uncertainty, GFA Executive Council member Nana Oduro Sarfo said the association is also talking to other candidates for the Black Stars coaching job.
“The Ghana Football Association is still in talks with other coaches for the Black Stars job,” Oduro Sarfo told Kumasi-based Ezra Radio.
The situation is more complicated because assistant coach Roger De Sa has left the Black Stars to become Technical Director at Cape Town Spurs. If Queiroz stays, he will probably need to rebuild part of his coaching staff before the next international matches.
With the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers starting in September, the GFA faces more pressure to sort out the coaching situation and name a permanent head coach before the Black Stars meet again.
Ghana did not qualify for the 2025 AFCON, but they will start their next qualification campaign in Group C with Ivory Coast, The Gambia, and Somalia as they try to return to Africa’s biggest football tournament.
As preparations continue, the GFA wants to settle the coaching position so the Black Stars can start the qualifiers with stability and a clear long-term plan.
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