Preview: Ghana vs Panama - prediction, team news, lineups

Both looking to commence their World Cup campaigns on a positive note, Ghana and Panama clash at Toronto Stadium in the early hours of Thursday morning in Group L.

The Black Stars have struggled through a pile of friendly fixtures ahead of their opening match in Canada, whilst Los Canaleros have shown signs of considerable progression.

Match preview

Not too long ago, Ghanaian football was rocked after their beloved national side failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in two decades, however, all will be forgotten if they can enjoy a productive summer in North America.

The Black Stars comfortably secured their spot at the World Cup with eight draws, one draw and just the single defeat in CAF qualifying, finishing as winners of Group I, six points ahead of second-placed Madagascar.

Since their concluding qualification match - a narrow success over Comoros in Accra on October 12 - Ghana have parted ways with former head coach Otto Addo after a string of worrying results.

In fact, the Black Stars are in the midst of a seven-game winless run (D1 L6) heading into Thursday's opener at Toronto Stadium, suffering defeats to Austria (5-1), Germany (2-1) and Mexico (2-0) this year.

Managing at consecutive World Cup finals after taking the reins of Iran at Qatar 2022, Ghana leader Carlos Queiroz has coached nine different international teams since first taking the gig at Portugal in August 1990.

During their World Cup debut on the Russian stage in 2018, Panama were arguably the minnows of the 32-team competition, losing three group-stage matches to England, Belgium and Tunisia before booking an early flight home.

This time around, Los Canaleros are looking to advance into the knockout stages of the tournament for the first time in their history, with the best third-placed route providing genuine hope for the Group L underdogs.

Panama were the big boys of CONCACAF qualifying during the latest cycle with the United States, Mexico and Canada sitting out as Thomas Christiansen's side went six matches unbeaten (W3 D3) during the second round to book a spot at this summer's football festival.

A batch of 2026 friendly fixtures have yielded mixed results for Los Canaleros, losing 6-2 at the iconic Maracana Stadium on May 31 to Brazil, who were surprisingly on the backfoot for considerable portions of the contests.

A promising display against Selecao - as well as a runners-up placement in the 2025 CONCACAF Nations League - point towards a potentially-productive summer in North America for Panama.

Ghana form (all competitions):

L L L L L L D

Panama form (all competitions):

L D W L W D

Team News

Ghana are without the services of midfielder Thomas Partey after he was denied a World Cup visa by the Canadian government.

The former Arsenal enforcer will remain at the Black Stars' training base in Boston before likely returning to the starting XI for the matches against England and Croatia.

Apart from Partey, Ghana have a full squad to select from, with veteran captain Jordan Ayew expected to get the nod at the top of the pitch.

The Leicester City attacker netted seven goals in World Cup qualifying and will be supported by the likes of Ernest Nuamah and Antoine Semenyo from the flanks.

Arguably Panama's best player, Adalberto Carrasquilla has missed all of his nation's warm-up matches due to injury.

However, the Pumas midfielder was spotted in training on Sunday and could play a part in Toronto off the bench, with head coach Christiansen refusing the rush the 27-year-old back.

Anibal Godoy is the elder statesmen of Los Canaleros at the age of 36, hoping to win his 156th international cap on Thursday.

Ghana possible starting lineup:

Ati-Zigi; Senaya, Adjetey, Opoku, Mensah; Owusu, Yirenkyi, Nuamah, Boakye, Semenyo; Ayew

Panama possible starting lineup:

Mosquera; Ramos, Cordoba, Andrade; Murillo, Godoy, Harvey, Davis; Rodriguez, Diaz, Fajardo