Ghana to Face Japan, South Korea Without Partey, Kudus, Ayew

Ghana’s head coach, Otto Addo, has suffered a major setback ahead of the Black Stars’ Asian tour, with several key players ruled out of the upcoming friendly matches.

Alexander Djiku, Thomas Partey, Jordan Ayew, Fatawu Issahaku, Joseph Paintsil, and Mohammed Kudus have all withdrawn from the squad due to injuries or minor knocks. Although they were initially named in the team, the players will remain with their clubs to rest and recover.

This decision was reached after discussions between the Black Stars’ technical and medical teams and the players’ clubs, which preferred not to risk their fitness by allowing them to travel for national team assessment.

Despite the withdrawals, Addo has moved quickly to fill the gaps by handing debut call-ups to three fresh faces, Prince Osei Owusu from CF Montreal, Kelvin Nkrumah from Medeama SC, and Czech-based striker Prince Kwabena Adu. These players will have the chance to impress the technical team as Ghana continues its preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The Black Stars will face Japan on Friday, November 14, at Toyota Stadium in Aichi in the Kirin Challenge Cup, before taking on South Korea on Tuesday, November 18. Addo and his squad are expected to begin training in Nagoya on Wednesday, November 12, ahead of the first match against Japan.

These international friendlies form part of Ghana’s preparation plans for their fifth World Cup appearance. The matches will also help the coach test new tactics and evaluate potential replacements for the injured players.

Meanwhile, the World Cup group stage draw will take place on December 5 in Washington, where Ghana will learn its opponents for the tournament.

The Black Stars will be hoping to use the Asian tour to build team chemistry and bounce back stronger ahead of future international competitions.