The noise around the Black Stars’ next head coach has grown louder. Inside the camp, however, the immediate reality is rather different: Carlos Queiroz remains in charge.
The Portuguese coach is preparing to name his squad for Ghana’s opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Côte d’Ivoire and The Gambia, with his attention already turning towards a September double-header that could quickly define the mood around the national team.
Ghana travel to Bouaké to face Côte d’Ivoire on September 24 before hosting The Gambia in Accra five days later.
While speculation continues over Ghana’s long-term plans in the dugout, Queiroz is the man overseeing preparations for these matches and is expected to make the next major decision himself: the composition of his squad.
That makes the forthcoming announcement particularly revealing.
It will offer an early window into whether Queiroz intends to preserve the core of the side that carried Ghana through the World Cup or begin reshaping the group ahead of the next major cycle.
Mohammed Kudus is one of the biggest variables.
The Tottenham midfielder has returned to competitive football after an eight-month injury lay-off, giving Queiroz access to a player whose absence was felt during Ghana’s World Cup campaign.
His return does not simply add another name to the squad. It changes the options available to the coach.
Kudus can operate between the lines, carry the ball through pressure and provide the attacking unpredictability Ghana have often lacked when opponents sit deep. His fitness, therefore, will be one of the key considerations as Queiroz finalises his plans.
Around him, the coach is expected to continue assessing the established core of Jordan Ayew, Antoine Semenyo, Thomas Partey, Iñaki Williams and Kamaldeen Sulemana, while keeping the door open for players attempting to force their way into the national team picture.
That balance between continuity and change is where the real interest in this squad lies.
Ghana’s qualification campaign comes with an uncomfortable backdrop.
The Black Stars missed the 2025 AFCON and cannot afford to stumble into another qualification cycle without establishing momentum.
The group offers little margin for complacency, with Côte d’Ivoire and The Gambia providing immediate competition and Somalia completing the quartet.
The opening fixture is arguably the statement game.
A trip to Côte d’Ivoire presents Ghana with one of the most demanding assignments in the group. Five days later, the Black Stars will have the advantage of home support when The Gambia arrive in Accra.
Four points from the two matches would provide a platform. Anything less would immediately increase the pressure.
That is why the speculation over Queiroz’s position matters, but perhaps not in the way the rumours suggest.
There has been considerable discussion about Ghana’s next head coach and what the GFA may ultimately decide once the current situation is settled.
For the moment, though, Queiroz remains the man at the helm.
He is preparing the squad. He is overseeing the build-up to the qualifiers. And unless there is a change before the international window, he will be the coach standing on the touchline when Ghana face Côte d’Ivoire and The Gambia.
That distinction is important.
Because whoever eventually takes the longer-term job, the decisions Queiroz makes now will shape the immediate trajectory of the Black Stars, from the players selected to the tactical identity established during the September window.
The squad announcement, then, should be read as more than a list of names.
It could be the clearest indication yet of what Queiroz wants Ghana to become.
For now, amid all the noise about who comes next, the man making those decisions is still Carlos Queiroz.