Kofi Adams, the Minister of Sports and Recreation for Ghana, has announced a budget of $13,776,965 (GH¢146,268,659.80) for the Black Stars’ involvement in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Ghana has been placed in Group L with Panama, England, and Croatia for the competition, which will be held in June throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Before the Youth and Sports Committee of Parliament on Thursday, February 26, Mr. Adams gave a breakdown of how the money will be used, from pre-tournament preparations to the possibility of going through the knockout rounds.
The sum of pre-tournament events is $1,230,465 (GH¢13,063,723.90). This consists of four international friendlies and a FIFA-accredited training facility.
“You would participate in a variety of events in the FIFA camp, such as arranging pleasant games. According to calculations, we are using GH¢13,063,723.90, which is equivalent to $1,230,465 in cedis, in the run-up to the competition. The friendly games will be funded by this, he stated.
The group stage receives the majority of the funding at $6,284,000 (GH¢66,716,599). This includes allowances for extra officials, match bonuses, appearance fees, and per diems for players and technical crew.
The team’s expenses decrease in some areas after it gets out of the group round, notably since appearance fees are no longer paid, he said.
“Our spending decreases once we reach the round of 32 because, at that point, you are no longer paying any appearance money. “It falls to $690,000 or in cedis, GH¢7,325,661,” he said.
The estimated expenditure for the round of 32 is $690,000 (GH¢7,325,661).
The budget increases in proportion to performance incentives if Ghana continues to improve. The projected value of the round of 16 is $920,000, the quarter-finals are worth $1,137,500, the semi-finals are worth $1,365,000, and the finals are worth $1,840,000.
During the tournament, an additional $310,000 has been set aside for honorariums for management, officials, and support employees.
“The overall sum sought from the Ghana Football Association for the Black Stars’ involvement in the 2026 World Cup was $13,776,965, or GH¢146,268,659.80 in cedi terms.”
Prior to playing England and Croatia, Ghana will play Panama in its first group game.
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