Ghana have sacked head coach Otto Addo with just 72 days left before the commencement of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The decision comes after a difficult run of results for the Black Stars, who have been under intense pressure despite a squad packed with quality.
They have lost their last four international friendly matches, including a humiliating 5-1 defeat to Austria last Friday in Vienna, as part of their World Cup preparations.
The four-time African champions had hoped to bounce back against Germany on Monday, but another 2-1 defeat to the 2014 world champions ultimately sealed Addo’s fate.
Addo first joined the national team setup in September 2021 as an assistant under Serbian coach Milovan Rajevac.
He was later promoted to interim head coach in February 2022 and led Ghana to qualification for the 2022 World Cup after defeating Nigeria in the playoff round.
The 50-year-old was appointed permanently in May 2022, but Ghana failed to go beyond the group stage in Qatar, winning just one of their three group matches.
He stepped down after the tournament, but was reappointed in March 2024 for a second spell.
During this second stint, Ghana missed out on qualification for the 2025 African Cup of Nations tournament in Morocco.
However, he made up for that disappointment by guiding the team to World Cup qualification, making him the first coach in the country’s history to qualify for two World Cup tournaments.
Across his second spell, Addo recorded eight wins and nine defeats from 22 games, with the team losing their last four matches to Japan, South Korea, Austria and Germany.
“The Ghana Football Association (GFA) have parted ways with the head coach of the senior men’s national team (Black Stars), Otto Addo, effective immediately”, the Ghana Football Association said in a statement in quotes revealed by ESPN.
Ghana, who have been placed in Group L for the 2026 World Cup alongside England, Croatia and Panama, have not appointed a replacement, but are expected to decide in the coming weeks.
