2026 World Cup: Augustine Ahinful urges Ghana to treat high-profile friendlies with greater urgency

Former Ghana striker Augustine Ahinful has urged the Black Stars to attach more seriousness to high-profile friendlies after their 2–0 defeat to Japan in the 2025 Kirin Cup.The game is part of Ghana's preparations for the 2026 World Cup.He believes such matches offer important preparation for major competitions and must be approached with stronger planning and focus.Ahinful, speaking on TV3, said the scoreline reflected the balance of play and warned that Ghana were fortunate not to concede more.“The result wasn’t surprising. A 2–0 scoreline is fair, and it could have been worse considering the number of chances Japan created in the second half,” he said.“We’ve known for months that we were going to face Japan and South Korea, so we cannot take these games for granted. Communication and proper planning must be at the heart of everything we do.”Japan opened their campaign with a composed performance, handing Otto Addo’s new-look side a difficult introduction.The Black Stars struggled with Japan’s tempo, especially after the break, when the hosts created several clear chances.Ghana now turn their attention to South Korea in Seoul on Tuesday.