Chad Coach Tahir Zakaria Gardia Selects Locally-Based Squad for World Cup Qualifiers
Chad head coach Tahir Zakaria Gardia has placed his trust in homegrown talent for their upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Ghana and Comoros.
With two challenging fixtures ahead, Gardia has named a squad dominated by players from the domestic league, including 14 representatives from local club AS PS.
The 25-man squad features only two foreign-based players: goalkeeper Mbaynaïssem Jourdain, who plays for CSK Dushanbe in Tajikistan, and midfielder Mahamat Thiam Maintah, who plies his trade with CO Castuera in Spain.
Chad currently sits at the bottom of Group I in the qualification standings and will need a strong performance to revive their slim hopes of securing a spot at the 2026 World Cup.
The first match against Ghana is scheduled for March 21 at the Accra Sports Stadium, followed by a trip to Morocco to face Comoros on March 26. A loss in both games would all but end Chad’s World Cup qualification campaign.
Coach Gardia’s decision to rely on a largely home-based squad signals his confidence in the country’s local talents as they take on more experienced opponents in the qualifiers.
