As Ghana prepares for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, President John Dramani Mahama has ruled out the possibility of the government funding large-scale travel arrangements for supporters from Ghana, citing the enormous financial burden involved.
Speaking during a diaspora town hall meeting in London on Sunday, May 31, 2026, the President said the cost of flying, housing, feeding and transporting fans across multiple host cities would be too high for the state to bear.
The tournament, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, presents unique logistical challenges, with teams and supporters expected to move between different countries and cities throughout the competition.
Responding to a question about whether the government intended to sponsor Ghanaians in the UK to travel to the United States and support the Black Stars, President Mahama stressed that public funds could not be used for such an exercise at a time when fiscal discipline remains a priority.
“with regards to the Black Stars, it will be difficult to take our supporters from other domain,” he said while responding to a question on whether the government was going to sponsor Ghanaians in the UK to also fly to the US to support the senior national football team.
“We are restricted because of the nature of this particular World Cup. Its being held in three countries and we are playing our first match in Canada, and then move to Boston, and to Philadelphia, and the cost of transporting, feeding, accommodating each supporter is beyond our means.”
The President explained that current estimates place the cost of supporting a single fan at nearly US$11,000 once travel, accommodation, feeding and match tickets are factored in.
“We say we are being fiscal disciplined, we cannot spend our money in that manner. The cost approximate for each person to be fed, accommodated, transported and all that to watch the games, the tickets and all that is estimated at almost US$11,000. And so how many can we take. So we are concentrating mainly on the supporters unions, they have a tradition of following the team to different places,” President Mahama said.
He noted that any direct support from government would largely be limited to recognised supporters’ groups that have consistently accompanied the national team to major competitions and international fixtures over the years.
At the same time, the government is exploring a different approach to ensure strong Ghanaian representation at the World Cup. Rather than financing travel from Ghana, authorities intend to make match tickets available to Ghanaians already living abroad, particularly those based in cities where the Black Stars will play.
“They’ve been here to the UK, they’ve been to Germany and they are registered members of the supporters union but what we are doing is, we are procuring tickets for Ghanaians in the diaspora, who want to attend the games. And so if you want to attend the game, you will get a ticket to attend the game. And so we have organised our chapters, our Ghanaian citizens in Boston, Philadelphia, in Canada and so the tickets that we have purchased, we will give to them to be able to watch the match,” President Mahama added.
According to the President, Ghanaian community networks in Canada, Boston and Philadelphia have already been mobilised as part of plans to distribute the tickets and help create a strong support base for the Black Stars during the tournament.
