Ghana’s Minister of Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, has signaled his readiness to support the integration of top talents like Eddie Nketiah and Callum Hudson-Odoi into the Black Stars, as the team prepares for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
His comments come amid growing speculation about the potential switch of allegiance by the two players, who have previously represented England at various youth levels.
Speaking in an interview with Asempa FM (via 3news), Adams made it clear that while he is willing to play his part in securing the services of such players, the final decision rests entirely with the national team’s technical bench.
“Every Ghanaian who knows how to play has the opportunity to go to the World Cup if the coach decides that he wants,” he said.
“It doesn’t matter if the player was part of the team during the qualifiers or not. It doesn’t matter if the player has played before or not.”
The Minister also touched on ongoing discussions about potentially recalling other players, such as Baba Rahman, stating that all decisions about team selection will ultimately be determined by the coach and technical team.
“I have heard that other people want to talk to get Baba Rahman back to the team, so the coach will decide whether to bring the player. Maybe they were looking elsewhere, but we will not discriminate on the day the player played during the qualifiers or not.
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“I have watched some players, and I believe that they are good enough. Despite their talent, the final selection of players like Eddie Nketiah and Hudson-Odoi remains with the technical team and the coach.”
Adams also revealed that he has played a background role in the recruitment of some current national team players, and he remains committed to doing the same moving forward.
“That is my responsibility, and if I am contacted to help, I will. Even some of the players playing now, I did some background work to get them to the national team. It’s not about my party people but even people in opposition, I talked to them just to bring them to the national team, so whoever they want to bring in, I will be there to assist,” he added.
The comments follow Ghana’s narrow 1-0 victory over Comoros in their final 2026 World Cup qualifier on Sunday at the Accra Sports Stadium. Mohammed Kudus’ decisive goal in the 47th minute ensured the Black Stars secured a place in the 2026 tournament, marking their fifth World Cup appearance since debuting in 2006.
