Lack of experience contributed to Ghana’s defeat against Colombia, says Carlos Queiroz

Nii Ayitey Brown 15:45 - 04 July 2026

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Carlos Queiroz in a post-match conference after 1-0 loss to Columbia

Carlos Queiroz says Ghana’s defeat to Colombia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup was caused by a lack of experience in the Black Stars squad, insisting the young team made costly mistakes under pressure.

Carlos Queiroz says Ghana’s defeat to Colombia was largely due to the team’s lack of experience and poor decision-making.
The Black Stars coach admitted Ghana’s young squad made repeated midfield errors that allowed Colombia to create most of their chances.
Queiroz insists Ghana must gain more experience through high-level matches to improve future performances at major tournaments.

Black Stars head coach Carlos Queiroz has blamed Ghana's defeat to Colombia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup on the inexperience of his squad, saying the players still need time to mature and make better decisions in high-pressure matches.

Speaking after Ghana's elimination from the tournament, Queiroz admitted that while the Black Stars have talented young players, enthusiasm alone is not enough to succeed against top teams on the world stage.

Because when you play this kind of competition at this level, you cannot only count with the enthusiasm of the youth. Enthusiasm is nice, it's okay. It brings you a lot of spontaneous things in the game.

The Portuguese coach explained that major tournaments such as the World Cup demand composure and good decision-making, qualities that only come with experience.

“The Ghana team is a very young team. We need more experience. We need time for some players to reach what we call maturity,” he said.

He said Ghana's biggest problem against Colombia was not only the quality of their opponents but also the team's own mistakes in possession.

But when it is time to make crucial decisions, it's not time to dribble. It's not time to give three touches on the ball. Because when you do that in a game like this, you get caught and you lose the ball.

Queiroz pointed to repeated mistakes in midfield as the main reason Colombia created several scoring opportunities.

It is difficult to play when we play against ourselves. Back passes that isolate the forwards, lost passes in dangerous situations.

He added:

If you look at the profile, 90% of the opportunities of Colombia came from mistakes in our midfield when we lost the ball.

The coach insisted that those mistakes were part of the learning process for a youthful team and stressed that there is no shortcut to developing experienced international footballers.

But that maturity, that experience, you can only win with more matches, more training. You have to throw the players in high level competitions for them to learn.

Ghana exited the competition after a 1-0 defeat to Columbia. Their exit ended what had been an encouraging campaign.

The Black Stars advanced from the group stage for the first time since 2010 and produced disciplined performances against stronger opposition, raising hopes for the future despite their Round of 32 defeat.

🎥 🇬🇭 Carlos Queiroz points to costly midfield mistakes after Ghana’s World Cup exit.

“We lost possession in dangerous areas, and 90% of Colombia’s chances came from mistakes in our midfield.”#GhanaSoccerNet pic.twitter.com/fAiOjYmZ7q
— Ghanasoccernet.com (@Ghanasoccernet) July 4, 2026

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