Ghana Football Association President Kurt Okraku believes Black Stars head coach Carlos Queiroz may have selected a different squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if he had been given more time to assess the country's players.

Queiroz led Ghana to the knockout stage of the tournament, but the Black Stars' campaign came to an end with a 1-0 defeat to Colombia in the Round of 32.

Despite reaching the knockout phase, Okraku believes the Portuguese coach's limited preparation time affected some of the decisions he made before and during the tournament.

Speaking to 3Sports after the World Cup, the GFA president suggested that Queiroz did not have enough time to properly scout the available talent before settling on his final squad.

“I did say that I am sure that if this man had more time to scout, to get to know the Ghanaian players and to pick his players, maybe he wouldn't have picked the same players he picked for the World Cup,” Okraku said.

Queiroz Had Little Time to Prepare

The 73-year-old Portuguese coach was appointed on a short-term four-month contract in April after Otto Addo was dismissed in March following a disappointing run of results.

That left Queiroz with only a short window to assess players, implement his tactical ideas and prepare Ghana for the World Cup.

The Black Stars played warm-up matches against Mexico and Wales before Queiroz finalized his squad for the tournament.

With limited opportunities to work with the wider player pool, Okraku believes the coach's selections were inevitably shaped by the time available to him.

Okraku Wants More of Ghana's Football Identity

The GFA president also suggested that Ghana did not consistently display the technical qualities traditionally associated with the country's football.

Okraku believes Ghana's strengths should include creativity, dribbling, passing and technical ability in possession.

“The Ghanaian style is that simple style of allowing your players to show their technical ability on the ball, their dribbling skills, their passing ability, their high level of technique on the ball,” he said.

According to Okraku, those qualities are particularly important when trying to break down well-organised defences.

“These kinds of qualities are the ones that will unlock defenders and allow attacking machinery to be very effective. So what you saw obviously was somebody who said a limited edition of what is possible,” he added.

Coach Still Has Final Say

Despite his observations, Okraku insisted that Queiroz had the right to select players who suited his tactical philosophy.

“But in the end, all of us come together, and we say that this is the coach. And he picks the kind of players that he wants to pick. He thinks about his philosophy, the players that suit his philosophy, and he deploys them.”

The comments underline the balance between the GFA's expectations and the authority given to the head coach over team selection.

Ghana's World Cup Campaign

Ghana entered the 2026 World Cup as the lowest-ranked team in the tournament but managed to progress to the knockout stage.

The Black Stars opened their campaign with a 1-0 victory over Panama, before playing out a 0-0 draw with England. They then suffered a 2-1 defeat to Croatia in their final group match.

Ghana advanced to the Round of 32 but were eliminated after Colombia secured a narrow 1-0 victory.

The Black Stars ultimately finished 24th in the tournament standings.

Queiroz Retained Ahead of AFCON Qualifiers

Despite the early exit, Queiroz has been retained as Ghana's head coach as the GFA looks to build on the World Cup experience.

The Portuguese will now turn his attention to the next challenge, with Ghana's 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign scheduled to begin in September.

With more time to work with the squad and assess players across Ghana and the international pool, Queiroz will now be expected to develop a team capable of delivering stronger performances in the next major cycle.

For Okraku, the hope appears to be that a longer preparation period will allow the coach to make more informed decisions — while also giving Ghana's technical players greater freedom to express themselves.