Carlos Queiroz Takes Ghana Job 72 Days Before World Cup Kickoff — His Fifth Consecutive Tournament as a National Team Coach

Carlos Queiroz, the 73-year-old Portuguese coach who has become one of football's most prolific national team managers, has been appointed head coach of Ghana just 72 days before the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off. The Ghana Football Association confirmed the appointment on Monday, choosing Queiroz from more than 600 applicants to replace Otto Addo, who was sacked after friendly defeats to Austria and Germany in March.

A Career Measured in World Cups

The appointment means Queiroz will appear at his fifth consecutive World Cup as a national team head coach — a feat matched by very few in the history of the tournament. He led Portugal to the round of 16 at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, then coached Iran at the 2014, 2018, and 2022 editions, recording three wins across 13 matches.

Born in Nampula, Mozambique, the former goalkeeper has held coaching positions with an extraordinary range of national teams: Portugal, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, Colombia, Egypt, Iran, Oman, and now Ghana. He also served as Sir Alex Ferguson's assistant at Manchester United during two separate spells, helping the club to a Champions League final in 2009.

The Challenge Ahead

Ghana have been drawn in Group L alongside Croatia, England, and Panama — a demanding draw that would test any manager, let alone one arriving with barely ten weeks to prepare. The Black Stars have warm-up matches scheduled against Mexico on 22 May and Wales on 2 June before the tournament begins.

"This is not just another job — it is a mission," Queiroz said in a statement released by the GFA. "And I am ready to give everything of my experience and knowledge once again, in service of the game and the happiness of people."

Portugal's Coaching Diaspora

Queiroz's appointment underscores the remarkable reach of Portuguese coaching talent on the global stage. José Mourinho, André Villas-Boas, Leonardo Jardim, and Paulo Fonseca have all held prominent club positions across Europe, while Queiroz has carved out a unique niche as a specialist in taking developing football nations to the World Cup.

His departure from Oman last month — after the Gulf state failed to qualify for the 2026 tournament — left him available at precisely the moment Ghana needed a crisis appointment. The GFA said his "extensive World Cup experience" was the decisive factor in a selection process that attracted candidates from around the world.

For Portuguese football, the appointment is both a point of pride and a reminder of the country's outsized influence on the global game. Whether Queiroz can guide the Black Stars out of one of the tournament's toughest groups remains the question that will define his latest chapter. On the intercity-mobility side, our 2026 guide to long-distance buses (Rede Expressos, FlixBus, Sete Rios, the Terminal Intermodal de Campanhã and EVA Transportes) sets the latest reference.