Ghana Faces Panama in World Cup Opener with Adjetey in Starting XI

Ghana's opening match at the 2026 World Cup against Panama will feature Wolfsburg center-back Jonas Adjetey in the starting lineup for the Black Stars. Ghana enters the tournament seeking to improve on their recent World Cup performances, having been eliminated from the group stage in two previous tournaments and falling in the semi-finals in 2010 under heartbreaking circumstances.

Panama, making their second World Cup appearance, suffered a difficult debut in 2018 when they lost all three group matches. The Central American side will start former Arminia Bielefeld defender Andrés Andrade, a 27-year-old who was part of LASK Linz's historic Austrian double-winning team—the club's first major titles since 1965.

Ghana's confirmed starting lineup includes goalkeeper Ati Zigi, defenders Senaya and Opoku alongside Adjetey and Mensah, midfielder Semenyo, and forward André Ayew as captain. Meanwhile, notable Ghana squad members including Mainz's Ransford Königsdörffer and Union Berlin's Derrick Köhn were omitted from the tournament roster by coach Carlos Queiroz, who is making his fifth successive World Cup appearance as a manager, tying Bora Milutinović's record. Panama's lineup features goalkeeper Mosquera and captain Barcenas in attack alongside Waterman.