2026 FIFA WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS PREVIEW: OTTO ADDO'S EYES WORLD CUP QUALIFICATION AGAINST CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC 

• By: Isaac Amponsah (Dr Ike) and Aaron Kintoh

Predictions: Away win/draw

The Ghana national football team is set to face the Central African Republic national football team in a crucial matchweek 9 fixture of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier at the Stade d'Honneur in Meknes, Morocco, on October 8, 2025.

Although Ghana isn't among the top teams in African football recently, they're still one of the most respected teams on the continent. 

Ghana played in four of the previous five World Cups and has a good chance to qualify for the upcoming one, currently topping their qualification group with three points more than Madagascar. 

With only two rounds left, Ghana can secure a ticket for the tournament on Wednesday. 

Otto Addo's team has played well in 2025, losing only one of six matches, including friendlies. In their previous game, Ghana won 1-0 at home against Mali.

The Black Stars are at the top of Group I. With a win here, they will secure a spot in the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

The Ghana national football team has won six of their eight qualifying matches and is in a brilliant run of form at the moment. Their confidence levels will be high.

Ghana have a few superstars. One of them is Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo, who has six goals and three assists in seven Premier League matches. An important player is also Mohammed Kudus, who has five assists for Tottenham this season.  

They are likely to cause problems for their opponent's defence. Both have put in some brilliant performances recently and will be keen to score for the Ghana national football team. They'll be a valuable asset for their side.

The issue with Ghana's national team is that most of their stars play up front, leaving a gap in defensive talent. If Otto Addo can address this defensive vulnerability, Ghana could become a very formidable team.

The Central African Republic national football team has struggled in their FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, securing only one win in eight matches. Les Fauves will face a tough challenge in the upcoming match and are likely to struggle.

The Central African Republic is one of Africa's weaker teams, having never qualified for the World Cup or the Africa Cup of Nations. 

Their current qualifying campaign hasn't been much different, with Rigobert Song's team collecting only five points in eight matches. 

The Central African Republic has lost five of their last six matches. In their previous game, they lost 2-0 to Comoros. It was another match where Song's team struggled defensively, so it's no surprise they came away empty-handed.

The Central African Republic doesn't have big stars in its squad, with most players competing in the domestic league. Their top players are Louis Mafouta (Guingamp) and Hugo Gambor (Troyes), both playing in France's Ligue 2. Another interesting player is young forward Moustapha Djimet, who's having a good season with Dinamo Minsk.

Louis Mafouta (Central African Republic) In seven FIFA World Cup qualifiers this campaign, the 31-year-old forward has scored three goals and is ready to help his side in the attacking front again. Louis Mafouta will be looking to step up his game to help the Central African Republic national football team stand a chance against the Black Stars.

The Black Stars top Group I with 19 points, while the Central African Republic sits in 5th position with five points in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in Africa.

The 20,000-seat Stade d'Honneur Stadium, Meknes, opened in 1962 and renovated in 2007, is ready to host the Group I match-day nine fixture between Central African Republic and Ghana.

The last time Ghana played a World Cup Qualifier in Morocco, the Black Stars won 3-0 against Madagascar on March 24, 2025, at the Grand Stade d'Al Hoceima, Al Hoceima, Morocco, courtesy of Thomas Partey (brace) 11', 53' and Mohammed Kudus 58'.

• Head-to-Head

• June 5, 2022 (2023 AFCON Qualifiers) [Group E]
Venue: Estadio 11 de Novembro, Luanda - Angola
Central African Republic 1-1 Ghana 
karl Namnganda 41'//Mohammed Kudus 17'

• Thursday, September 7, 2023 (2023 AFCON Qualifiers) [Group E] 
Venue: Baba Yara Sports Stadium, Kumasi
Ghana                             2-1 Central African Republic
Mohammed Kudus 43', Ernest Nuamah 88'//Louis Mafouta 25'

• Monday, June 10, 2024 (World Cup Qualifiers) [Group I]
Venue: Baba Yara Sports Stadium, Kumasi
Ghana                             4-3 Central African Republic
Jordan Ayew (hat trick) 6' (pen), 60' 69', Abdul Fatawu Issahaku 62'//Louis Mafouta (hat trick) 11', 41' 90'

Total matches played               - 3
Central African Republic wins - 0
Goals scored                              - 5
Ghana wins                                 - 2
Goals scored                              - 7
Drawn games                             - 1

• Notable Statistics: The two nations have scored and conceded in each of their games played so far against each other in all competitions.

• Each of their games has produced 2+ goals. 
 
- Match Facts:

- The Wild Beasts of Central African Republic are ranked 140th in the FIFA rankings (September 18, 2025).

    - Their first competitive match was in the 1961 Friendship Games in Ivory Coast where Central African Republic drew twice against Upper Volta and Liberia before losing to the hosts and failing to progress to the next round.

- The Black Stars of Ghana are ranked 75th in the FIFA rankings (September 18, 2025).

    - Their first international game was played on May 28, 1950 (Gold Coast and British Togoland 1-0 Nigeria) in Accra, British Gold Coast.

Player Records
- Central African Republic's most capped player: Foxi Kethevoama (48 caps, 8 goals)

- Ghana's most capped player: André Ayew (120 caps, 24 goals)

- Central African Republic's all-time top scorer: Louis Mafouta (16 goals in 30 caps).

- Ghana's all-time top scorer: Asamoah Gyan (51 goals in 109 caps)

Team Information
- Central African Republic is located in Central Africa and is part of the UNIFFAC Regional Federation.

- Ghana is located in West Africa and is part of the WAFU Regional Federation.

- The Central African Republic Football Federation was founded in 1961 and joined CAF and FIFA in 1964. Central African Republic's first participation in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers was in the 2002 South Korea and Japan World Cup Qualifiers, where they were eliminated in the first round by Zimbabwe. The 2026 World Cup Qualifiers marks 5th appearance in the competition.

• The Ghana Black Stars' first participation in the World Cup Qualifiers was the 1962 Chile Qualifiers, where they were eliminated by Morocco. The 2026 World Cup Qualifiers marks Ghana's 12th appearance in the competition.

World Cup Qualifiers Records
 Central African Republic 
- Number of appearances: 5
- Games played:                  24
- Wins:                                     3
- Draws:                                   4
- Losses:                               17
- Goals scored:                    19
- Goals conceded:              47

 Ghana
- Number of appearances:             12
- Games played:          98
- Wins:                           49
- Draws:                         26
- Losses:                       23
- Goals scored:            157
- Goals conceded:      77

Additional Facts:
- 41 out of 54 active FIFA and CAF members have never qualified for the World Cup final tournament since 1930.

- Ghana's best performance in the World Cup was reaching the quarterfinals in 2010.

Team Debuts:
- 1934: Egypt
- 1970: Morocco
- 1974: DR Congo (Zaire)
- 1978: Tunisia
- 1982: Algeria & Cameroon
- 1994: Nigeria
- 1998: South Africa
- 2002: Senegal
- 2006: Ghana, Angola, Ivory Coast & Togo

Note that Central African Republic has failed to qualify for the final tournament of the FIFA World Cup in their five attempts in the qualifiers.

Central African Republic World Cup Qualifiers Record at Home
- Central African Republic has played 12 World Cup Qualifiers games at home since their first attempt for the 2002 World Cup (W2 D2 L8 GF6 GA19).

- Only seven countries have beaten Central African Republic at home in World Cup Qualifiers since 2002.

Specific Matches:

- Qualification to 2002 South Korea and Japan World Cup: April 9, 2000, Central African Republic 0-1 Zimbabwe 

- Qualification to 2014 Brazil World Cup:
    - September 7, 2013: Central African Republic 1-2 Ethiopia 
    - June 8, 2013: Central African Republic 0-3 South Africa 

• Qualification to 2018 Russia World Cup Qualifiers:
- October 10, 2015: Central African Republic 0-3 Madagascar 

- Qualification to 2022 Qatar World Cup:
    - October 10, 2021: Central African Republic 0-2 Nigeria

- Qualification to Qatar 2022 World Cup:
    - September 6, 2021: Central African Republic 0-1 Liberia 

• Qualification to 2026 World Cup Matches
- March 19, 2025: Central African Republic 1-4 Madagascar

• Qualification to 2026 World Cup 
- September 7, 2025: Central African Republic 0-2 Comoros

Ghana's World Cup Qualifiers Record Away
- Ghana have played 48 World Cup Qualifiers games away since their first attempt for the 1962 World Cup (W14 D13 L21 GF54 GA52).

World Cup Qualifiers Games in October 
Central African Republic Record
- Central African Republic have played 4 World Cup Qualifiers games in October since 2000 (W1 D1 L2 GF3 GA7):
    - October 10, 2015: Central African Republic 0-3 Madagascar 
    - October 15, 2015: Madagascar 2-2 Central African Republic 
    - October 7, 2021: Nigeria 0-1 Central African Republic 
    - October 10, 2021: Central African Republic 0-2 Nigeria 

Ghana's Record
- Ghana have played 6 World Cup Qualifiers games in October since 1960 (W4 D1 L1 GF16 GA4):
    - October 10, 1976: Ghana        2-1 Guinea 
    - October 31, 1976: Guinea       2-1 Ghana 
    - October 10, 2004: Ghana        0-0 DR Congo
    - October 8, 2005: Cape Verde 0-4 Ghana
    - October 11, 2008: Ghana        3-0 Lesotho 
    - October 15, 2013: Ghana        6-1 Zambia

Games on October 8:

- Central African Republic fixture against Ghana will be their first game played on October 8.

-Ghana won their only World Cup Qualifier game played on October 8 since 1960

   - October 8, 2005: Cape Verde 0-4 Ghana (2006 World Cup Qualifiers)
        - Venue: Estadio da Varzea, Praia
        - Goals: Joetex Asamoah Frimpong (5'), Sulley Muntari (35'), Asamoah Gyan (75'), Godwin Attram (87').

Central African Republic Recent Performance:
- The Wild Beasts of Central African Republic are winless in their last five FIFA World Cup Qualifiers games (D1 L4 GF4 GA12):
    - June 10, 2024: Ghana 4-3 Central African Republic 
    - March 19, 2025: Central African Republic 1-4 Madagascar 
    - March 24, 2025: Central African Republic 0-0 Mali

Recent Wins
- The last time Wild Beasts of Central African Republic won a game in World Cup qualifiers was June 5, 2024, when they beat Chad 1-0 in the match Day 4 of the ongoing Qualifiers, courtesy of Venuste Baboula 29-minute goal in the qualification to the 2026 World Cup.

Central African Republic Recent Home Performance
- Central African Republic have lost each of their last two World Cup Qualifiers games at home:
    - March 19, 2025: Central African Republic 1-4 Madagascar (2026 World Cup Qualifiers)
    - March 24, 2025: Central African Republic 0-0 Mali (2026 World Cup Qualifiers)

Ghana's Recent Performance:
- Ghana Black Stars are unbeaten in their last six FIFA World Cup qualifiers (W5 D1 GF16 GA5):
    - June 6, 2024: Mali                   1-2 Ghana
    - June 10, 2024: Ghana              4-3 Central African Republic
    - March 21, 2025: Ghana            5-0 Chad
    - March 24, 2025: Madagascar 0-3 Ghana -  
- September 4, 2025: Chad         1-1 Ghana 
- September 8, 2025: Ghana       1-0 Mali 

Ghana's Away Performance:
- Ghana Black Stars are unbeaten in their last three away games in World Cup qualifiers (W2 D1 GF6 GA2):
    - June 6, 2024: Mali                    1-2 Ghana
    - March 24, 2025: Madagascar 0-3 Ghana
    - September 4, 2025: Chad         1-1 Ghana 

Current Standings:
- Central African Republic are 5th with 5 points after Match Day 8 games, while Ghana are 1st with 19 points in Group I of the World Cup Qualifiers log.