Ghana’s amputee national football team, the Black Challenge, have received a strong vote of confidence from National and African Paralympic Committee President Samson Deen, who believes the team will win the 2026 World Amputee Football World Cup in Mexico.
Deen made the bold declaration when he visited the team during a training session at the University of Ghana Stadium on Thursday as preparations intensify for the November 13–22 tournament in San Juan de los Lagos, Mexico.
“I’ll stand on behalf of the team and tell you that we’ll win the World Cup,” he declared, insisting that the team has the quality to conquer the world.
“I’ve told them they have to win it, and we’ll do everything in our capacity to go there and win. Whatever we need to do, we’ll do it,” he said.⁷
“Unless God says maybe winning won’t be good for us, but we know God is on our side and we have the best team in the world,” Deen added.
The visit comes as the Black Challenge step up preparations under head coach Richard Stephen Obeng, with the team working to improve fitness and sharpen their readiness ahead of the 24-team global showpiece.
Coach Obeng said the players were progressing well but acknowledged the challenge awaiting them, with Ghana drawn in Group D alongside Angola, Colombia and Iraq.
“Training has been good. The boys are on course, and we’re bringing them back into shape and to their peak,” the coach said.
He stressed that the team would approach every match with maximum seriousness, knowing that a strong group-stage performance would be crucial to their ambitions.
“We’re not going to have it easy from the group stage. Every game we play is a final,” Coach Obeng said.
“That is how we’ve psyched our minds, from the technical team to the playing body. Every team we face is a final game for us, one we are supposed to win to make ourselves, our families, Ghanaians and the continent as a whole proud.”
The Black Challenge, defending African champions who have won three major continental titles since 2021, are expected to travel to Türkiye for a training camp before proceeding to Mexico.
Ghana will be seeking to translate its continental dominance into a maiden world title when the 24-nation tournament begins next month.
