“I hope they will take advantage of all our great state has to offer, and I cannot wait to cheer on these talented athletes,” he added in the news release.
The hotel was not mentioned in Thursday’s announcement, but that does not mean a traveling party from Ghana will not be staying there.
“Because of the changing geopolitical climate and out of an abundance of caution, FIFA issued revised guidelines. Revealing accommodations partners is now up to the discretion of the team as of January,” Diossa said about the hotel.
FIFA, the international governing body that puts on the World Cup tournament, also had discussions with the University of Rhode Island, Johnson & Wales University and The Preserve Sporting Club in Richmond about being training sites, but did not come to an agreement with any of those institutions.
A World Cup fan watch event may be held in downtown Providence, but is not certain yet. On Wednesday, Airbnb announced that is has donated $250,000 to Ocean State 2026 to be the official sponsor of fan events in Rhode Island.
What to know about the Ghana national soccer team
Ghana topped Group I while qualifying directly from the Confederation of African Football, losing just one of its 10 matches. They finished six points ahead of Madagascar and seven ahead of Mali. Tunisia, Algeria, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Cape Verde, South Africa, Senegal and Egypt also qualified directly as CAF group winners.
Ghana is a four-time Africa Cup of Nations champion and a five-time runner-up. They have international friendlies set at Austria, Germany, Mexico and France ahead of a Group L opener with Panama on June 17. Ghana will follow that match in Toronto with a June 23 meeting against England in Foxboro and a June 27 finale against Croatia in Philadelphia.
This is the fifth World Cup trip for Ghana – all coming since 2006. They qualified for the knockout stage out of Group E with eventual champion Italy in that first appearance, leaving the United States and the Czech Republic on the outside. Ghana suffered a 3-0 defeat against Brazil in the Round of 16 and was eliminated.
There was greater success to come in 2010, with Ghana again advancing through Group D along with Germany. Asamoah Gyan scored in extra time as Ghana eliminated the United States, 2-1, in the Round of 16. Penalty kicks were required in the quarterfinal, and Uruguay knocked Ghana out of the tournament with a 1-1 (4-2) victory.
Gyan is the nation’s all-time leading scorer with 51 goals and played in a golden age for the country that also included Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari, Kevin-Prince Boateng, André Ayew, Jordan Ayew, Stephen Appiah and Kwadwo Asamoah. Essien was a dominant midfielder nicknamed “The Bison,” a two-time Ligue 1 champion with Lyon who went on to capture two Premier League titles and a UEFA Champions League crown with Chelsea.
Ghana’s current player pool includes Antoine Semenyo, a London-born attacking winger who competes for his father’s home nation. Semenyo just finished a January move from Bournemouth to Manchester City for £64 million and will be expected to help lead Ghana in this next appearance.
Thomas Partey is a former Arsenal midfielder, Mohammed Kudus currently plays at Tottenham, Iñaki Williams helped Athletic Bilbao to a Copa Del Rey trophy in 2023-24 and Jordan Ayew remains the national captain.
Credit: The Providence Journal
