Semenyo sends warning to World Cup rivals: ‘Ghana ready to compete with the best’

Ghana striker, Antoine Semenyo, has warned that the Black Stars are not heading to the 2026 FIFA World Cup merely to participate, insisting they are ready to prove they can compete with the best teams in the world.

Semenyo, who was born in London but chose to represent Ghana, said the Black Stars are determined to write their own story at the tournament after the disappointment of recent setbacks.

Ghana will be making their fifth appearance at the World Cup, with memories still fresh of their famous run to the quarter-finals at the 2010 edition in South Africa.

That campaign remains one of the country’s greatest football moments, but Semenyo said the current generation must now create its own legacy.

Speaking in an interview with FIFA, the 26-year-old said his decision to play for Ghana was never in doubt despite growing up in England.

“My mum and dad are Ghana through and through. They never really mentioned anything about England,” Semenyo said.

“Obviously, living in England, you get the conversation of: ‘Oh, you should represent England’. But it was never a conversation I ever had, really.”

Semenyo said watching Ghana at the World Cup while growing up created strong emotional memories for him and his family.

“I feel like watching Ghana play in the World Cup was so special. Mum, dad, uncles, aunties, cousins all turn up to one house, and we’ll watch all the games together, celebrating, screaming, all the emotions. It’s everything, it’s so special,” he said.

The former Bristol City forward has grown into one of Ghana’s key attacking players after making his international debut against Madagascar on June 1, 2022.

He later featured for the Black Stars at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where Ghana failed to progress beyond the group stage.

Semenyo said that experience was special because he was still playing for Bristol City at the time, but insisted the 2026 edition must be different.

“At that time, I was still at Bristol City, so it was so special. But I feel like now, I just want to prove, and we all want to prove, that we’re a top nation,” he said.

The striker said Ghana were frustrated by their failure to qualify for AFCON 2025, but added that the disappointment has only increased their hunger ahead of the World Cup.

“We were so frustrated that we didn’t qualify. But we’re not just coming to the World Cup, we want to compete on all levels,” Semenyo said.

“We’ve got a lot of attacking talent and killer instincts.”

Now under Carlos Queiroz, Ghana are expected to arrive at the tournament with a point to prove.

Semenyo said the Black Stars have enough quality to test any opponent if they play to their full potential.

“I feel like we do want to write our own story. We’ve got such a good team and we just need to prove to the world that we can compete with everyone else,” he added.