Queiroz aims to raise bar for Ghana ahead of World Cup

Ivory Coast's defender #05 Wilfried Singo during the friendly international football match with Scotland at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool, England, on March 31, 2026. [AFP]

Newly-appointed Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz said Thursday that leading the Black Stars at the 2026 World Cup will be "the biggest challenge" of his career.

The arrival of the veteran Portuguese coach, who oversaw Iran at the 2022 World Cup and also spent a season at Real Madrid, has sparked a frenzy among Ghana fans, underscoring the weight of expectation around a team seeking to restore their global standing.

"It is an honour and a privilege to be here," Queiroz told reporters at his first press conference in Accra.

"After eight national teams, this is the biggest challenge of my career... Because when you work for Ghana, they expect nothing different than win, win, win."

Ghana have qualified for five World Cups, including the upcoming 2026 edition, but recent performances have been inconsistent, heightening pressure on the new coach to deliver results on the biggest stage.

Queiroz, who has coached national teams including Portugal, Iran, Egypt and Colombia, said his immediate priority is to instill a winning mentality and build cohesion within the squad.

"If we play together, with the right mentality, we can beat any opponent in the world," he said. "There is only one medicine in football -- to win."

With limited time before Ghana's opening World Cup match against Panama on June 17, the 73-year-old acknowledged the scale of the task but expressed confidence in the country's talent pool.

"My job is to bring the right players to build the right team," he said, adding that "a group of talented players is not always a great team".

"The team is the most important player," Queiroz explained. "Nobody owns the national team shirt -- it must be earned."

Beyond immediate results, Alex Ferguson's former assistant at Manchester United outlined a longer-term vision to develop a pipeline of talent capable of sustaining success beyond the tournament.

"This is a country of footballers," Queiroz said. "My duty is to manage the present but also build the future -- a generation that can make Ghana not just a country of footballers, but a country of champions."

Despite calls from fans to match or surpass Ghana's historic quarter-final run at the 2010 World Cup, Queiroz declined to make bold predictions.

"I promise hard work," he said. "We go step by step -- first game, then second, then third."

Queiroz is set for his fifth World Cup as a coach. He led Portugal at the 2010 edition and took Iran to the past three tournaments.