Bad Pitch Caused Ghana’s Draw Against Chad – Otto Addo

Black Stars head coach Otto Addo has blamed the poor state of the pitch in N’Djamena for Ghana’s failure to secure victory in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Chad.

Ghana looked set for another big win when captain Jordan Ayew gave them the lead, but Chad equalised late through Celestine Ecua, leaving the game at 1-1. The result denied the Black Stars the chance to widen their lead at the top of Group I.

“The pitch was very slow for us. It makes it difficult to outplay the defenders. They need to put water on it. The pitch was hard and we couldn’t play fast. It was a disadvantage for us,” Addo said after the game.

It was a disappointing outcome for Ghana, especially as the draw gave Chad their first point of the qualifiers after losing their previous six matches. A win would have opened a six-point gap for the Black Stars, but the dropped points saw their lead cut down to three after Madagascar defeated the Central African Republic 2-0 later in the day.

Coach Addo admitted that beyond the pitch conditions, his team also underperformed. He stressed that the Black Stars wasted several scoring chances despite enjoying most of the possession.

“At the end, I can’t say we played excellent, or we played well, because the result is everything. If we had scored two or three goals, we would have talked differently, I know. But, again, respect to Chad for the good defending. I don’t know how many corners we had, we had a lot of corners, we did nothing out of that, we had a lot of shots, attempts on the goal, we had a lot of ball possession, and normally we have to win this game. So this is, at the end, surely not good enough, and we have to improve, especially on our execution,” he said.

Despite the draw, Ghana remain top of Group I with 16 points after seven matches. Madagascar are second with 13 points, while Mali and Comoros both sit on 12 points each, keeping the group wide open as the qualifiers reach a crucial stage.

The Black Stars will now turn their attention to a key clash against Mali on Monday, September 8, at the Accra Sports Stadium. The match is expected to be tough, but victory at home could restore momentum and strengthen Ghana’s push for a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Coach Addo is confident his side can recover quickly but insists that sharper attacking play will be needed if they are to keep their lead and achieve qualification.