"Until the court makes a decision, the presumption of innocence is on the side of all court cases." That's Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz defending his decision to pick Thomas Partey for the 2026 World Cup — and it's the sentence that frames everything about the Black Stars' tournament before a ball is kicked.
Partey, 32, faces seven charges of rape and one of sexual assault in the UK. Four women. Alleged incidents spanning 2020 to 2022. He has pled not guilty to all eight charges, and a Westminster Magistrates' Court judge ruled in April that the trial — currently scheduled for no earlier than January 2027 — would proceed with all counts heard together. He'll be on the pitch at the World Cup while that case waits.
The Ghana Football Association has been explicit in its support. President Kurt Okraku told Asaase Radio the GFA stands "shoulder to shoulder" with Partey, describing him as a "key member of the Black Stars" in his role as vice-captain. Villarreal, who signed him on a free transfer from Arsenal last August, issued a statement saying he "vehemently defends his innocence and denies all charges." None of that resolves the discomfort. It just describes where things stand.
Who Ghana actually have — and what they're missing
The Partey conversation tends to overshadow the fact that this is a genuinely interesting Ghana squad. Iñaki Williams and Antoine Semenyo — now at Manchester City — give them attacking teeth that wasn't there in previous cycles. Brandon Thomas-Asante arrives with momentum after helping Coventry City earn Premier League promotion, and Ernest Nuamah adds further depth up front.
The problem is what isn't there. Mohammed Kudus, who had established himself as one of the most dynamic midfielders in the Premier League at Tottenham, suffered a quad injury against Sunderland in January and won't feature. That's a significant loss — Kudus was the kind of player who could change a match against a better side. Ghana's odds of getting out of Group L just took a hit the moment he was ruled out.
Jordan Ayew captains the side and will set a new record with his first appearance, moving clear of brother André as Ghana's all-time caps leader at 121. Defensively, Baba Abdul Rahman returns off a strong season with PAOK, and Kojo Oppong Peprah will be pushing for a starting role. In goal, Benjamin Asare — Ghana Premier League's standout shot-stopper — gets the nod.
Queiroz himself is a story worth noting: he's set to become only the second manager in World Cup history to coach at five consecutive tournaments, having taken Portugal to South Africa in 2010 before steering Iran through three straight editions. Familiarity with the tournament doesn't guarantee results, but it doesn't hurt.
Ghana's Boston schedule and what to expect
The Black Stars will play one match at Gillette Stadium — rebranded as "Boston Stadium" for the duration of the tournament — when they face England in their second Group L game. Their full group stage schedule:
- Match 1: TBC
- Match 2: Ghana vs England — Boston Stadium (Foxboro, MA)
- Match 3: TBC
This is Ghana's fifth World Cup overall. Their best run remains South Africa 2010, when they reached the quarterfinals — level with Cameroon (1990) and Senegal (2002) as the joint-deepest African run before Morocco's semi-final in Qatar 2022. They've been grouped out in their last two appearances. Queiroz will know that improving on that is the baseline expectation, not the ambition.
The full 26-man squad:
- Goalkeepers: Benjamin Asare (Accra Hearts of Oak), Lawrence Ati-Zigi (St. Gallen), Joseph Anang (St. Patrick's Athletic)
- Defenders: Baba Abdul Rahman (PAOK), Derrick Luckassen (Pafos FC), Gideon Mensah (AJ Auxerre), Marvin Senaya (AJ Auxerre), Alidu Seidu (Stade Rennais), Abdul Mumin (Rayo Vallecano), Jerome Opoku (Istanbul Basaksehir), Jonas Adjetey (VfL Wolfsburg), Kojo Oppong Peprah (OGC Nice)
- Midfielders: Thomas Partey (Villarreal CF), Kamaldeen Sulemana (Atalanta), Kwasi Sibo (Real Oviedo), Augustine Boakye (AS Saint-Etienne), Caleb Yirenkyi (FC Nordsjaelland), Abdul Fatawu Issahaku (Leicester City), Elisha Owusu (AJ Auxerre)
- Forwards: Christopher Bonsu Baah (Al-Qadsiah), Ernest Nuamah (Olympique Lyonnais), Antoine Semenyo (Manchester City), Brandon Thomas-Asante (Coventry City), Prince Kwabena Adu (Viktoria Plzen), Iñaki Williams (Athletic Club), Jordan Ayew (Leicester City)
Ghana will train at Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island and base themselves at the Graduate by Hilton in Providence — the same state, coincidentally, as France's setup this summer.
On the pitch, the talent is there to be competitive. Off it, the Thomas Partey situation isn't going away — and every press conference between now and the end of the group stage will carry a question about it.
