"Officially, no one from the Ghana Football Association has spoken to me." That's Joachim Löw, the man Ghana apparently want to lead the Black Stars at the 2026 World Cup — and he hasn't heard a word from them.
Ghana sacked Otto Addo last Tuesday and are now scrambling to find a coach before a World Cup where they'll face England, Croatia, and Panama. According to Ghana Soccer, Löw is at the top of their list. The federation president says a decision is coming "within a week or two." Given that Löw hasn't been contacted yet, that timeline is either optimistic or the GFA is working through other options first.
Löw hasn't exactly been hiding
Since leaving Germany after Euro 2021, Löw has been selective — deliberately so. He's turned down club and international offers over the past few years, but his language has shifted recently: "I will consider options that I find interesting." Ghana at a World Cup, in a winnable group, probably qualifies as interesting.
The 2014 World Cup winner brings obvious credentials. But there's a real question about fit. Löw built his Germany sides over years, with full control of the development pipeline. Stepping into a national team job weeks before a tournament starts — with no preseason, no squad-building period — is a completely different challenge. The Black Stars have enough quality to get out of that group. Whether a newly appointed Löw can organize them fast enough is the actual problem.
Before his name surfaced, ESPN had reported that Walid Regragui and Hervé Renard were the frontrunners. Both are currently without jobs and both know African football inside out — Renard won the Africa Cup of Nations with two different countries, Regragui took Morocco to a World Cup semi-final. Either would be a sharp appointment.
What this means for the group odds
Ghana's coaching situation matters beyond the headlines. England will start as group favorites, but Croatia and Panama are beatable. A settled, well-organized Ghana side can make that group uncomfortable for everyone. An unsettled one — still introducing a new coach weeks out — becomes much more predictable. The identity of the next manager will shift Ghana's ceiling in that group considerably, and the odds should reflect whoever lands the job.
For now, the GFA is making a lot of noise without making a move. Löw's phone hasn't rung yet.
