Ghana suffered a 2-1 defeat to Croatia in their final Group L match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but the result was still enough to send the Black Stars into the Round of 32 as one of the tournament's best third-placed teams.
Croatia made a strong start and took the lead through Petar Sui before Ghana responded with an equalizer from Derrick Luckassen. However, Ghana's hopes of taking a point were dashed late in the match when Nikola Vlaši scored the winner to secure second place in the group for Croatia.
Despite the defeat, Ghana qualified for the knockout stage under the expanded 48-team World Cup format, which allows the eight best third-placed teams to join the group winners and runners-up in the Round of 32.
Ghana head coach Carlos Queiroz said his team would learn from the mistakes that led to the defeat and shift their full focus to preparing for their Round of 32 clash against Colombia.
Queiroz also shared his views on the tournament's expanded format, saying it has created more opportunities for teams to qualify while noting that its competitive balance remains open for discussion.
