GFA Strengthens Black Stars Technical Team Ahead of 2026 World Cup
The Ghana Football Association has taken a decisive step toward sharpening the Black Stars’ edge for the 2026 FIFA World Cup by expanding the team’s technical and support staff with five seasoned professionals.
Following consultations with key stakeholders, the FA confirmed the appointments as part of a broader strategy to build a robust and well-rounded backroom team ahead of the global tournament to be staged in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
French coach Alain Ravera has been drafted in as Assistant Coach, adding valuable international pedigree to the setup. Ravera has previously worked at the highest levels, serving as assistant coach with Guinea’s national team and French Ligue 1 outfit AS Monaco.
He will work alongside Black Queens head coach Kim Lars Björkegren, who also joins the Black Stars’ technical team in an assistant role. The Swedish tactician recently guided the Black Queens to a bronze medal at the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and has already secured qualification for the 2026 WAFCON, which he will continue to oversee.
In a bid to boost scouting, tactical preparation and performance analysis, the GFA has appointed Spain’s José Daniel Martínez Alfonso. Martínez Alfonso currently operates as an assistant coach and video analyst with Major League Soccer side Atlanta FC, bringing modern analytical expertise into the Black Stars’ camp.
The medical unit has equally received a lift with the return of Carlos Lozano Romero as Team Physiotherapist. Lozano was part of Ghana’s backroom staff during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, and his reappointment provides continuity and familiarity with the demands of the national team environment.
Rounding off the new additions is British-born Ghanaian performance expert Dwayne Peasah Paa Kwesi, who has been named Performance Coach. His responsibilities will centre on physical conditioning, player optimisation and maintaining peak performance levels throughout the World Cup campaign.
According to the FA, all five appointments are specific to the 2026 FIFA World Cup and are consistent with the GFA’s long-standing practice of reinforcing the Black Stars’ technical team whenever Ghana qualifies for major international tournaments.
The newly assembled experts will work closely with the existing technical crew led by Head Coach Otto Addo, as the Black Stars intensify preparations with the ambition of making a strong impression on football’s biggest stage.
