President John Dramani Mahama has ruled out any large-scale government-sponsored travel arrangement for Ghanaian football fans to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, citing the enormous financial burden involved.
Speaking during a diaspora town hall meeting in London on Sunday, May 31, the President said the cost of transporting, accommodating, feeding and providing match tickets for supporters would be too expensive for the state to undertake.
According to him, the unique structure of the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico, makes logistics particularly challenging.
“The Black Stars. It will be difficult to take our supporters from home. We are restricted because of the nature of this particular World Cup,” President Mahama said.
He explained that Ghana’s group-stage matches will require movement across multiple cities and countries, significantly increasing costs.
“It’s being held in three countries, and we’re playing our first match in Canada and then moving to Boston, from Boston to Philadelphia. The cost of transporting, feeding, and accommodating each supporter is beyond our means,” he stated.
President Mahama revealed that estimates show the total cost per supporter could approach $11,000.
“The cost approximates for each person to be fed, accommodated, transported and all that, to watch the games, tickets and all that, is estimated at almost $11,000,” he said.
He stressed that the government must remain fiscally disciplined and cannot justify such expenditure.
“We are being fiscally disciplined. We cannot spend our money in that manner,” he added.
Instead of sponsoring mass travel from Ghana, the President said government efforts would focus on supporting recognised supporters’ groups and facilitating access to match tickets for Ghanaians living abroad.
“We’re concentrating mainly on the supporters’ unions. They have a tradition of following the team to different places,” he noted.
President Mahama disclosed that tickets have been secured for Ghanaians in the diaspora who wish to attend the matches, particularly those living in Canada, Boston and Philadelphia.
“What we’re doing is procuring tickets for Ghanaians in the diaspora who want to attend the games. If you want to attend the game, you will get a ticket to attend the game,” he said.
The President encouraged members of the Ghanaian diaspora willing to travel between host cities to take advantage of the ticket arrangements being made for supporters.