Otto-Support: GFA bolsters Black Stars bench with 5 new appointments for 2026 World Cup
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has strengthened the Black Stars’ technical team with five new appointments as preparations intensify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be staged in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The additions, announced following consultations with key stakeholders, are intended to deepen the team’s technical capacity and sharpen Ghana’s competitive edge ahead of the global tournament. The move reflects a deliberate effort to assemble a well-rounded backroom structure capable of meeting the demands of a World Cup campaign.
French coach Alain Ravera has been appointed Assistant Coach, bringing with him a strong pedigree at both international and club levels. Ravera has previously worked with the Guinea national team and French top-flight side AS Monaco, experience the GFA believes will add tactical depth and international insight to the Black Stars’ setup.
He will be joined on the technical bench by Black Queens Head Coach Kim Lars Björkegren. The Swedish trainer recently guided Ghana’s women’s national team to a bronze medal at the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and has also secured qualification for the 2026 WAFCON, which he is expected to lead. His inclusion signals a cross-pollination of expertise within Ghana’s national teams.
In the area of scouting and match analysis, the GFA has appointed Spanish coach José Daniel Martínez Alfonso to strengthen performance analysis and opposition assessment. Martínez Alfonso currently works as an assistant coach and video analyst with Major League Soccer side Atlanta FC, a role that places him at the heart of modern data-driven football analysis.
The Black Stars’ medical department has also been reinforced with the return of Carlos Lozano Romero as Team Physiotherapist. Lozano was part of Ghana’s technical setup during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, and his reappointment is expected to ensure continuity and familiarity within the team’s medical and recovery processes.
Completing the five additions is British-born Ghanaian performance specialist Dwayne Peasah Paa Kwesi, who has been named Performance Coach. His responsibilities will centre on physical conditioning, workload management and overall player performance optimisation throughout the World Cup cycle.
The GFA explained that the appointments are specific to the 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign and are consistent with its long-standing practice of expanding the Black Stars’ technical team whenever the country qualifies for major international tournaments.
The newly appointed officials will work alongside the existing technical team led by Head Coach Otto Addo, as Ghana steps up preparations with the aim of making a strong impression at the World Cup.
