World Cup-bound Ghana fires coach Otto Addo after 4 straight losses in friendlies

World Cup-bound Ghana fired coach Otto Addo early Tuesday (March 1, 2026) less than three months before the team plays against England and Croatia.

The firing came hours after a 2-1 loss to Germany in Stuttgart on Monday (March 30) that was Ghana’s fourth straight loss in warm-up games including 5-1 to Austria last Friday (March 27).

“The Ghana? Football Association has parted ways with the head coach of the senior men’s national team (Black Stars), Otto Addo, effective immediately,” it said in a statement posted in the early hours of Tuesday (March 31).

It is the second time this month that an African team going to the World Cup has changed the coach who was in charge at the 2022 edition in Qatar. Morocco appointed Mohamed Ouahbi to replaced Walid Regragui who took the team to the semifinals four years ago.

The Ghana federation gave no details on who will replace Addo and lead the team at its fifth World Cup appearance in six editions.

Addo coached the Black Stars on an interim basis for much of 2022, including at the World Cup in Qatar. Ghana beat South Korea but lost to Portugal and Uruguay so was eliminated in the group stage.

Addo was on his second spell as coach after Borussia Dortmund agreed to release him from his role in talent development in March 2024. Ghana failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations played this year in Morocco, though Addo did guide the Black Stars to win a World Cup qualifying group last year.

Ghana opens its World Cup program in Group L against Panama on June 17 in Toronto, then faces England outside Boston and Croatia in Philadelphia.

During his playing career, the Hamburg, Germany-born Addo won a Bundesliga title with Dortmund and played for Ghana at its World Cup debut in 2006 in Germany. Ghana advanced to the round of 16 and lost to Brazil.