Ghana Matches Nigeria's World Cup Record with Late Win Against Panama

Ghana has become the second African country to win a match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This happened after Caleb Yirenkyi scored a dramatic stoppage-time goal to give them a 1-0 win over Panama in Toronto on Wednesday.

The Black Stars seemed ready to settle for a draw in their Group L opener. But Yirenkyi found the net in the 95th minute. This goal gave Carlos Queiroz’s team a vital victory and continued Africa’s good start in the tournament.

This win came just days after Côte d’Ivoire beat Ecuador. Now Africa has two victories in the competition. Four draws against big teams also stand out. Cape Verde held Spain, Morocco kept Brazil at bay, Egypt drew with Belgium, and DR Congo managed a draw against Portugal.

While Algeria, South Africa, Tunisia, and Senegal faced narrow defeats in their first matches, Africa's overall performance shows that its teams are becoming more competitive on the world stage.

Panama had better chances for most of the match against Ghana. Cecilio Waterman almost scored but goalkeeper Lawrence Ati Zigi made a great save to keep the game level. Jiovany Ramos and Cristian Martinez also came close as the Central Americans aimed to spoil Ghana’s return to the World Cup.

Queiroz, who is only the second coach after Bora Milutinovic to lead teams in five straight World Cups, looked to his bench for a change. This decision turned out to be key.

Substitute Brandon Thomas-Asante charged into the penalty area deep into added time. He squared the ball to Yirenkyi, who calmly scored his first international goal. This sparked wild celebrations among Ghanaian players and fans.

Now Ghana sits level with England on three points at the top of Group L. This win gives the Black Stars a strong base for their upcoming group matches.

The victory also has historical importance. Ghana's sixth World Cup win means they are now tied with Nigeria as the most successful African nations in World Cup matches. Remarkably, Ghana reached this milestone in just 16 matches, while Nigeria needed 21.

After witnessing Morocco reach the semi-finals in the last World Cup, Africa is eager to make an even bigger impact this time.

It’s exciting to see that African teams are no longer just participating, they are now competing fiercely and getting results on football’s biggest stage.