Black Stars Fall to Mexico in World Cup Preparation Game
Black Stars endured another frustrating outing ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after suffering a 2-0 defeat to Mexico in an international friendly in Puebla on Saturday morning.
With head coach Carlos Queiroz absent for personal reasons, assistant coach Desmond Ofei led the team for the encounter, which served as part of Ghana’s preparations for the global tournament next month.
Mexico wasted little time asserting themselves and found the breakthrough just three minutes into the contest. Brian Gutierrez capitalised on a mistake from Ghana before calmly finishing to hand the hosts an early advantage.
Ghana struggled to recover from the setback and created very little in attack during the opening half, heading into the break trailing by a single goal.
The hosts strengthened their control shortly after halftime when Guillermo Martinez doubled Mexico’s lead in the 54th minute following another defensive lapse from the Black Stars.
Throughout the contest, Mexico looked the sharper and more dangerous side. The hosts controlled 59 percent of possession and produced 16 shots, with eight hitting the target.
The match also offered the technical team an opportunity to assess several fringe and home-based players as competition intensifies for places in Ghana’s final World Cup squad.
Ghana have been drawn in Group L for the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside England, Croatia and Panama.
