Africa-Press – Ghana. There was a time Ghana were ranked 16th in the world when it came to football.
The Black Stars were part of the elite football countries globally after reaching the quarterfinals of the World Cup in South Africa in 2010.
However, the most recent rankings released see Ghana, a country that won four Africa Cup of Nations before the turn of the century, drop down further.
The Black Stars had plunged from 61st to 67th in the rankings after a poor showing at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The West African side were knocked out of the group stages of the continental showpiece for a second successive time, failing to win a game in the tournament organised by Ivory Coast.
As a result, when most African countries seemed to have seized the opportunity to climb higher in the rankings, Ghana have taken steps back.
A move that will see the team face potential ramifications in the foreseeable future.
The Black Stars won’t be seeded for next AFCON draw
Ahead of the 2025 AFCON draw, the Black Stars aren’t likely to be part of the 12-seeded teams. With Ghana ranking 14th in Africa, they’re two slots away from that privilege.
Subsequently, Ghana will be in the same group as one of the best 12-ranked countries in Africa. This could be either Senegal, Morocco, Nigeria, Egypt, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, etc.
In the last qualifiers, the Black Stars, who were then seeded, needed a final day win to top a group with Angola, Central Africa Republic, and Madagascar.
The qualification steps are expected to be tougher this time after dropping to second seed.
Don’t expect big friendlies anytime soon
The higher you rank as a country, the higher your negotiation power especially in friendly games. The best countries usually want to play each other in these games because they can generate interest and conversation.
Argentina were set to play Ghana in a friendly in March but the decision was rescinded as the World Champions now wanted to face Nigeria and Ivory Coast.
A decision that’s not really surprising considering the two countries reached the AFCON final.
If Ghana are to attract the best countries and play them in friendlies, there needs to be a feel good factor about the national team again. This comes from consistently performing well in games, a step which will also increase the country’s rankings.
Players likely to struggle for work permits in England
For footballers to play in England, one of the key requirements is a work permit.
However, to obtain a work permit players must have fulfilled some conditions. One of which is the number of games played for the national team.
With Ghana still out of the top 50 ranked countries in the world, Ghanaian players who dream of moving to England must have played 75% of the country’s games in the past 24 months.
The required % of international matches over the previous 24 months is determined by the player’s National Association’s official FIFA ranking:
NB: Reference period reduced to 12 months for those players aged 21 or under at the time of application
The percentage reduces as the ranking of the country improves. In fact, if a country is ranked in the top 10, their players need to have played only 30% of the games in the past two years to obtain a work permit.
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