The Ghana national football team did well to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup despite facing strong competition during the qualification campaign. This marks the Black Stars’ fifth appearance at the world’s biggest football tournament.
However, optimism among Ghanaian supporters has been dampened by a poor run of form under coach Carlos Queiroz.
Since completing their World Cup qualifying campaign, Ghana have played seven matches without recording a single victory. Their most notable results during that stretch were a draw against the Wales national football team and a narrow 2-1 defeat to the Germany national football team. The remaining five matches all ended in defeat.
By contrast, Panama national football team have maintained positive momentum after qualifying for the tournament.
Across their last five friendly matches, Panama have suffered only one defeat, which came away to the Brazil national football team at the famous Maracanã Stadium. During the same period, they earned draws against Bosnia-Herzegovina and South Africa while recording impressive victories over South Africa and the Dominican Republic.
Perhaps most importantly for bettors, Panama covered the Asian handicap in four of those five matches.
Recent Form & Head-to-Head
Ghana
- Seven consecutive matches without a win.
- Five Asian handicap losses during that run.
- Struggling for goals in recent fixtures.
Panama
- Only one defeat in their last five matches.
- Four Asian handicap wins from their last five outings.
- Showing greater consistency than their opponents.
Head-to-Head
This will be the first-ever meeting between Ghana and Panama.
Team News
Ghana
- No major injury concerns reported.
- Expected to field a full-strength lineup.
Panama
- Full squad available for selection.
Probable Lineups
Ghana
Ati-Zigi; Senaya, Adjetey, Opoku, Mensah; Owusu, Yirenkyi, Nuamah, Boakye, Semenyo; Ayew.
Panama
Mosquera; Ramos, Cordoba, Andrade; Murillo, Godoy, Harvey, Davis; Rodriguez, Diaz, Fajardo.
Betting Analysis
Asian Handicap: Ghana -0.25
Although Ghana’s recent form has been disappointing, the market has already adjusted expectations by setting only a quarter-goal handicap.
Panama have been the more reliable betting team recently, covering in four of their last five matches. Ghana, meanwhile, have failed to win any of their last seven fixtures and have lost five of those games against the handicap.
Pick: Panama +0.25
Over/Under: Under 2.25 Goals
Ghana have struggled offensively, scoring only once across their last two matches.
Two consecutive Ghana games finished with two goals or fewer.
Panama have also been involved in relatively low-scoring contests, with four of their last seven matches producing no more than two goals.
A cautious opening World Cup fixture suggests limited scoring opportunities.
Pick: Under 2.25 Goals
Cards Market
Disciplinary statistics point toward a fairly physical encounter.
- Ghana average approximately 3.1 cards per match over their last ten games.
- Panama average around 3.3 cards per match over the same period.
Given the importance of the result and the aggressive defensive styles often displayed by both sides, several bookings are likely.
Pick: Over 4 Total Cards