“I look forward to every game as special,” he told the Ghana FA website. “Very important for us that we don't underrate any team. For sure, England is the favourite in that group. But for me as a coach, to be honest, I'm looking at each and every game equally.”

Addo stressed that Ghana’s opening match against Panama in Toronto on 17 June will set the tone for the rest of the campaign. “I'm hoping that we have a good start against Panama, that will be very, very crucial,” he noted. “It will make the other games a little bit more relaxed and easier for the players psychologically. We will use the window of March for test matches, and then see.”

Reflecting on Ghana’s road to the World Cup, Addo praised the team’s resilience and development following a difficult 2024. “I think we did very well in the qualifiers,” he said. “We didn't lose a single official game, like the qualifying games, we did very well. We just played one draw and the rest we won, so we had quite a good year in 2025, after a bad year in 2024.”

He added that despite the squad’s relative youth, they have shown maturity and togetherness. “Even though we have a very young team, we really, really did well, had a good harmony in the team, good union.”

Ghana will follow their opening match with a high-profile fixture against England on 23 June at the Gillette Stadium, before completing their group campaign against Croatia on 27 June. With Addo steering a rebuilt but ambitious side, the Black Stars will be hoping to rediscover the competitive edge that has defined their strongest World Cup outings.