Sports Minister Kofi Adams clarifies ticket distribution as Ghana prepares for Panama, England and Croatia
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has delivered 700 tickets for Ghana's highly anticipated World Cup group match against England, with the remainder expected to be delivered shortly, Sports Minister Kofi Adams has disclosed.
In an interview with Joy News, the Minister explained that the government had purchased 1,000 tickets for Ghanaian fans to attend the Black Stars' World Cup matches. So far, the GFA has delivered approximately 700 tickets for the Ghana versus England game, 700 for the Ghana versus Panama match, and 625 for the Ghana versus Croatia fixture.
"This night (June 10, 2026) we expect the remainder of the tickets to be delivered to the GFA-appointed officials who is in charge of what tickets," Mr Adams said.
Tagged tickets prevent resale
The Minister revealed that 80 per cent of the government-purchased tickets are tagged, meaning they cannot be resold individually. He explained that the measure was introduced to prevent scalping and ensure that tickets reach genuine fans.
"When we say tag tickets, it means that you cannot even share it individually, because we wanted to avoid the situation where somebody will be given a ticket, and if there is a possibility that person will engage in a resale for a critical match and take the money and go back and say he or she have not been given a ticket, so we went for more tagged tickets, so 80 per cent of our tickets are tagged," he stated.
Activation process
The Minister clarified that the tickets have not yet been distributed to any individuals. He explained that fans must go through a verification process, including submitting email addresses to the Ghanaian Embassies in the United States and Canada as well as downloading the FIFA ticketing app.
"The ticket will get activated 24 hours to the game, so even if it gets given to your group, you will always see that you have a ticket, it is activated 24 hours to the game. But not a single ticket that we bought has moved out from the system we are holding to anybody," he said.
Announcement
Mr Adams noted that the Ghana High Commission in Canada has announced that interested persons must submit their email addresses and download the FIFA app to be able to use the ticket. The system ensures that only verified fans can access the tagged tickets.
The government's purchase of the tickets for Ghanaian fans is intended to support the Black Stars and ensure a Ghanaian presence at the stadiums in Toronto, Boston and Philadelphia. Ghana will open their Group L campaign against Panama on June 17 in Toronto, followed by England on June 23 in Boston and Croatia on June 27 in Philadelphia.
The Minister's clarification comes amid public interest in how tickets are being allocated to fans.
Mr Adams also addressed critics of the government's ticket distribution, stating that the tagged system prevents any individual from selling tickets for profit. He explained that the process ensures transparency and accountability in the distribution of the government-purchased tickets.
