SAN JUAN DE LOS LAGOS, Mexico, Nov. 15 – Ghana’s amputee football team, the Black Challenge, opened their 2026 Amputee Football World Cup campaign with a 2-0 defeat to former world champions Angola in their Group D opener in Mexico on Saturday.
The defeat was confirmed by 3Sports and JoySports. Angola won the World Cup in 2018 and finished runners-up in 2022, according to the Ghana Football Association (GFA).
“We are shocked”
Head coach Richard Stephen Obeng admitted the result came as a shock but refused to blame any individual. “We weren’t expecting this. We are shocked, but this is football and we are not going to put blame on anybody,” he told 3Sports after the game.
“We had a full-time preparation. The weather was not favourable as well, but we’re not going to put that as an excuse,” he added.
Obeng pointed to Argentina’s run at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, when Lionel Messi’s side lost their opening game to Saudi Arabia before going on to lift the trophy. “Argentina lost against Saudi Arabia and they became World Champions. Take that and take this from me and Team Ghana. We are coming back home as the World Champions,” he said, 3News reported.
Colombia next
Ghana face Colombia on Sunday, November 15, before completing their Group D fixtures against Iraq on Monday, November 16, as they chase a place in the knockout stage, the GFA said.
The Black Challenge arrived in Mexico with a strong continental record. They won the African Amputee Football Championship in 2021, took gold at the inaugural African Para Games in Accra in 2023 and defended their continental crown in Cairo in 2024 with a 2-1 win over Morocco in the final, a result that secured their World Cup qualification, according to the GFA.
The 2026 WAFF Amputee Football World Cup is being staged in San Juan de los Lagos from November 13 to 22 and features 24 national teams from Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas.
Source: 3News/3Sports; JoySports; Ghana Football Association.
Featured image: Oye News GH graphic.