"We can dominate the tournament"- Black Stars assistant coach John Paintsil after World Cup draw

Assistant coach of the Black Stars, John Paintsil, feels confident ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup following the draw held in Washington, DC on Friday, December 5, 2025.The Black Stars have been drawn in Group L alongside former champions England, 2018 runners-up Croatia and Panama.Having failed to go beyond the group stage of their last two World Cup appearances, Painstil believes 2026 offers the team a golden opportunity to dominate the global showpiece."It was a long waiting. Everyone is happy now, myself I am happy for the group that we find ourselves in. It is a group that is a very good group. A group that will bring the best out of the team and the entire country. We are going to be where we are going to have more supporters coming to support the team and that is the most important thing," he told Sahara Football."I believe we can dominate this tournament," he added.Meanwhile, speaking on the team's chances, the former Ghana international is counting of the Black Stars' experience to navigate Group L."We can say much about our chances but we believe that we have more experience when it comes to such tournaments. We believe we will come out of the group stage and then we look forward for the next because we have to take it one at a time and the most important thing is to qualify from the group."