Players who were at the World Cup but missed out on Black Stars squad for 2027 AFCON qualifers

Black Stars head coach Carlos Queiroz has named his latest squad for Ghana’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, with several players who featured at the 2026 FIFA World Cup missing from the 24-man list.

Ghana are set to face Côte d’Ivoire on September 24 before hosting The Gambia on September 29. The Black Stars will also face Morocco in an international friendly on October 4.

Among the notable absentees are Thomas Partey, Jonas Adjetey, Brandon Thomas-Asante, Elisha Owusu and Kamaldeen Sulemana, while Marvin Senaya is unavailable because of injury.

Thomas Partey was part of Ghana’s 2026 World Cup squad but has not been included in Queiroz’s latest selection.

The midfielder recently returned to training with Al Shabab after recovering from a hamstring injury that had kept him out of action.

His absence therefore comes as one of the major talking points from Queiroz’s latest squad.

Kamaldeen Sulemana is another notable World Cup player missing from the latest Black Stars squad.

The winger was included in Ghana’s 2026 World Cup squad and featured in Queiroz’s plans for the tournament.

However, he has been left out of the squad for the upcoming AFCON qualifiers.

Sulemana’s omission also comes after he suffered a knee injury during a Schalke 04 friendly in August, with reports indicating that he was expected to spend two to three months on the sidelines.

Jonas Adjetey was included in Ghana’s World Cup squad and featured during the tournament.

The defender, however, has not been selected for the upcoming AFCON qualifiers.

His omission comes as Queiroz recalls other defensive options, including Alexander Djiku and Nathaniel Adjei.

Brandon Thomas-Asante also misses out despite being part of Ghana’s World Cup squad.

The forward was handed Ghana’s iconic No. 10 shirt for the 2026 World Cup but is not part of the latest 24-man squad.

Elisha Owusu is another World Cup player who has not made the latest squad.

The midfielder was part of Ghana’s 2026 World Cup team and featured during the tournament, but Queiroz has opted not to include him for the upcoming qualifiers.

Marvin Senaya is absent for a different reason.

The Auxerre defender was part of Ghana’s World Cup squad and featured throughout the tournament before suffering a significant hamstring injury during the Round of 32 defeat to Colombia.

He subsequently underwent surgery in Paris and was expected to be sidelined for at least eight weeks.

His absence from the latest squad is therefore injury-related rather than a selection decision.

Iñaki Williams will also not be available for the new AFCON qualifying campaign, but his absence is due to a different reason.

The Athletic Club forward announced his retirement from international football on September 11, 2026, bringing his four-year career with the Black Stars to an end.

Williams made 28 appearances for Ghana and scored two goals after switching his international allegiance in 2022.

He represented Ghana at the 2022 and 2026 FIFA World Cups and the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. His final appearance came in Ghana’s 1-0 defeat to Colombia at the 2026 World Cup.

His retirement means Ghana will begin the new AFCON qualifying campaign without one of the experienced forwards who featured in the squad at the 2026 World Cup.