President John Dramani Mahama has ruled out funding mass fan travel from Ghana to the 2026 World Cup, citing a cost near $11,000 per supporter the state cannot absorb.
Speaking at a diaspora town hall in London on Sunday, the President said staging the tournament across the United States, Canada and Mexico made the kind of mass travel seen at past World Cups unaffordable, with transport, feeding, accommodation and tickets driving the per person estimate.
“That is beyond our means. We are being fiscally disciplined,” he said, adding that the government could not spend public money in that way.
Instead, Mahama said the government would buy match tickets and pass them to Ghanaian community chapters already based in the host cities, including Boston, Philadelphia and locations in Canada, so diaspora supporters can attend without straining the public purse.
He urged Ghanaians abroad planning to travel to venues to link up with recognised community groups, promising fair and organised access to the tickets.
Ghana sit in Group L alongside Panama, England and Croatia. The Black Stars open against Panama at BMO Field in Toronto on June 17, meet England in Boston on June 23, then close the group against Croatia in Philadelphia on June 27.
The stance echoes Mahama’s position in March, when he said sending even 200 fans could cost more than $2 million, money he argued was better directed at jobs and development.
