Don’t rely on past games-Asamoah Gyan tells players

Former Black Stars captain Asamoah Gyan has urged the Black Stars to focus on the task ahead and not rely on past games as they prepare to face Madagascar in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Ghana will face Madagascar on the back of a 5-0 thumping of Chad at the Accra Sports stadium on March 21. It was a significant victory as the Black Stars were playing for the first time in 2025, following poor performances in 2024 which resulted in missing out on the Africa Cup of Nations.

Read more: Asamoah Gyan charges Black Stars players to give 100%

Otto Addo’s men are currently top of Group I with 12 points, and a victory could stretch their advantage over their current opponents to five points.

Read more: Kwesi Appiah’s Sudan top group B

Gyan, who has featured for the Black Stars in three different World Cup tournaments, has advised the current crop to focus on the task ahead

“We shouldn’t rely on the past games. We have to play them [Madagascar] today and that’s what we are looking for. We are just looking for a positive result and that’s it. We don’t have to dwell on the past and be talking about luck. We want to go to the World Cup,” Gyan told 3Sports

The game between Ghana and Madagascar will take place at Mimoun Al Arsi Stadium in Al Hoceima at 19:00 GMT.

The Black Stars began their qualifying campaign in 2023 with a 1-0 victory over Madagascar before going on to lose 1-0 to Comoros a few days later.

In 2024, Otto Addo led the team to back-to-back victories over Mali and Central African Republic. Ghana seeks a fifth appearance at the World Cup after making the editions in 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018.