CONFIRMED: Ghana to play Colombia in Round of 32 in World Cup 2026

The Black Stars of Ghana will face Colombia in the Round of 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after finishing their group stage campaign with a narrow 2-1 defeat to Croatia on Saturday night.

Despite the loss, Ghana had already secured qualification to the knockout phase ahead of kick-off, ensuring their place in the next round remained intact.

Croatia, runners-up at the 2018 World Cup, struck first in the 31st minute through Petar Sučić, who broke the deadlock to give the European side a 1-0 lead at half-time.

Ghana responded strongly after the interval, pushing forward in search of an equaliser. Their pressure eventually paid off in the 73rd minute when debutant Derrick Luckassen found the net to restore parity for the Black Stars.

However, the contest was decided late on, with Nikola Vlašić scoring from a corner seven minutes from time to seal victory for Croatia.

Elsewhere in the group, Ghana’s qualification had already been confirmed, and attention now shifts to a knockout meeting with Colombia, who topped Group K with seven points. Portugal finished second in the same group with five points.

The Round of 32 fixture will take place at the Kansas City Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday, July 3, with kick-off set for 01:30 GMT.

Ghana’s progression to the knockout stage matches their best-ever World Cup achievement, first reached in 2010 in South Africa.