Carlos Queiroz has been appointed as the new head coach of Ghana, with the experienced Portuguese tactician expected to take charge of the Black Stars on a short-term basis ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Queiroz has been handed a clear and ambitious mandate which is to guide Ghana to the quarter-finals of the tournament, a stage the Black Stars have not reached since their iconic run in South Africa in 2010.
Should he meet that target, a two-year contract with an option for renewal is expected to be offered to the 72-year-old, sources have confirmed to Flashscore.
The appointment follows the dramatic sacking of Otto Addo in the early hours of March 31st, just hours after Ghana's 2-1 defeat to Germany in Stuttgart.
Addo had also overseen a chastening 5-1 loss to Austria three days earlier, which was Ghana's heaviest defeat in 19 years, and GFA president Kurt Okraku moved swiftly to bring his tenure to an end after intense discussions with the sports ministry.
Addo finished his second stint with a win rate of 36.4 percent across 22 games, and it was widely reported that he had lost the dressing room, a factor that proved decisive in the GFA's decision to act.
The search for a replacement began immediately, with the GFA receiving between 600 and 800 applications for the position in the days that followed.
Why Queiroz Won the Race
Among the candidates considered, Paulo Bento and Fernando Santos emerged as early frontrunners alongside Queiroz.
Both carry solid international pedigrees, but it is understood that the GFA leaned decisively toward the former Manchester United assistant for a combination of reasons that went beyond raw coaching credentials.
Chief among them was Queiroz's familiarity with African football. He has walked this road before. He managed Egypt, taking the Pharaohs to the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations final before departing, and prior to that, he had a stint with South Africa.
He also applied for the Cameroon job in 2018, signalling a long-standing interest in African football that the GFA took note of when weighing up their options. Neither Bento nor Santos could point to comparable experience in this context.
A Flexible Approach Sealed the Deal
A further factor that tilted the balance in Queiroz's favour was his willingness to be flexible with his backroom arrangements.
While he is expected to arrive with about 4-6 members of his own technical staff, including his trusted assistant Roger De Sa, he has indicated a readiness to accommodate some of the remaining technical team from Otto Addo's tenure within the setup.
For the GFA, that flexibility was significant. The belief within the association is that retaining elements of the existing backroom staff will help Queiroz settle into the role more quickly, reducing the disruption that inevitably accompanies a coaching change of this nature.
Building continuity behind the scenes, even as the head coach changes, was seen as a practical and sensible approach given how little time remains before the World Cup begins.
A CV Built for Big Moments
Queiroz's appointment brings a level of experience and gravitas to the role that the GFA have been seeking since Okraku outlined the profile of their ideal candidate last week.
The man who served as Sir Alex Ferguson's right hand at Manchester United, who coached Real Madrid, who guided Iran to three World Cups and who took Portugal to the 2010 World Cup semi-finals is no stranger to high-pressure environments or the demands of tournament football.
He has managed at five World Cups across different nations, navigated dressing rooms of enormous complexity, and developed a reputation as a tactically astute and meticulous operator who prepares his teams thoroughly for the challenges ahead.
That, combined with his African experience, made him the standout candidate in the eyes of the GFA's leadership.
The Timeline Ahead
With time at an absolute premium, Queiroz is expected to move quickly. The Portuguese coach is anticipated to name a provisional World Cup squad by May.
The Portuguese and his staff will then have the opportunity to assess players across the final weeks of the European club season before settling on their preferred group.
Ghana also have friendlies against Mexico in May and Wales on June 2nd scheduled as final preparation fixtures, and those matches will be crucial in helping Queiroz evaluate his options and bed in his tactical ideas before the tournament begins.
The new coach will also be working within the context of a squad facing significant uncertainty. Mohammed Kudus, Ghana's most dangerous attacking threat and their top scorer at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, remains a doubt for the Mundial after suffering a fresh quad injury.
Ghana have been drawn in Group L for the 2026 World Cup alongside England, Panama and Croatia. Their campaign opens against Panama in Toronto on June 17th, before facing England in Boston on June 23rd and Croatia on June 27th.
