Ghana : Black Stars Beaming With Confidence

The Black Stars of Ghana will be appearing at the World Cup for the fourth time. They first participated in the competition in 2006. Even though it was their first participation in the world’s biggest football event, the Black Stars qualified for the round of 16.  They suffered a 0-2 defeat in their opening game against the eventual champions, Italy but they beat Czech Republic and the USA in the second and third games to reach the round of 16. They were beaten 3-0 by Brazil finishing on the 13th spot. Their performance in 2006 served as an encouragement for the team and they moved to the quarterfinals in the 2010 edition in South Africa. Ghana reached their third World Cup in Brazil in 2014 but could not reach the same lofty heights of their first two participations, crashing out in the group stage. The only silver lining was holding eventual champions Germany to a 2-2 draw. Ghana are placed in Group H along with Portugal, South Korea and Uruguay. 
Since the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the Black Stars have not competed in a knockout stage game. At the first FIFA tournament held in Africa, they achieved their best finish to date. Ghana reached the World Cup quarterfinals for the second time. 
The latest FIFA Rankings places Ghana on the 61st position and 11th in Africa. The ranking was a result of the Black Stars poor showing during the final World Cup international break. Ghana earned their spot at the World Cup in Qatar thanks to away goals. They battled Nigeria to a 1-1 draw in the second leg of their play-off. Ghana's lone goal in Nig...