The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has clarified concerns over the limited inclusion of domestic players in the latest Black Stars squad, explaining that selections were based strictly on performance and technical assessment.

Head coach Otto Addo named a 26-man squad for upcoming friendlies against the Austria national football team and the Germany national football team, with Benjamin Asare as the only player from the Ghana Premier League included.

GFA Communications Director Henry Asante Twum stated that the technical team has been closely monitoring the domestic league, emphasizing that decisions were guided by data, consistency, and tactical versatility.

He rejected claims that local players were overlooked, noting that even some foreign-based players failed to make the squad due to intense competition for places.

“Otto Addo, together with his technical team, has been watching the Ghana Premier League, and they have been doing their own analysis on the players,” he said.

He further stressed that selection into the national team hinges on multiple performance indicators, including consistency and tactical flexibility.

“If you want to bring in any player, you will have to look at the numbers, performance and versatility before a decision will have to be made.”

Addressing claims that home-based players were overlooked, Asante Twum pointed out that competition for places extends beyond the domestic league.

“It is not about overlooking any local player because we have other players in Europe who did not make the cut,” Asante Twum added.

Ghana will face Austria in Vienna before taking on Germany in Stuttgart as part of preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Additional friendlies against the Mexico national football team and the Wales national football team are scheduled as the team fine-tunes its squad ahead of the tournament.

The full squad: 

Goalkeepers: Lawrence Ati-Zigi (St. Gallen), Benjamin Asare (Accra Hearts of Oak), and Joseph Anang (St. Patrick’s Athletic)

Defenders: Alexander Djiku (Spartak Moscow), Gideon Mensah (Auxerre), Patrick Pfeiffer (SV Darmstadt), Derrick Luckassen (Pafos FC), Derrick Kohn (Union Berlin), Jerome Opoku (Istanbul Basaksehir), Caleb Yirenkyi (FC Nordsjaelland), Kojo Oppoong Pepprah (OGC Nice), Jonas Adjetey (VFL Wolfsburg) and Marvin Senaya (Auxerre), 

Midfielders: Kwasi Sibo (Real Oviedo),Thomas Partey (Villareal), Elisha Owusu (Auxerre) and Ibrahim Sulemana (Cagliari). 

Forwards/Wingers: Jordan Ayew (Leicester City), Antoine Semenyo (Manchester City), Kamal Deen Sulemana (Atalanta),Brandon Thomas Asante (Coventry City), Prince Adu (Viktoria Plzen), Christopher Bonsu Baah (Al Qadsiah), Abdul Fatawu Issahaku (Leicester City), Inaki Williams (Atletic Bilbao) and Daniel Agyei (Kocalispor).