Three major corporate organisations have injected fresh financial support into Ghana’s preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after donating millions of cedis and dollars to the Black Stars World Cup Fundraising Committee.

The donations, presented in Accra, came from Stanbic Bank, which contributed GH₵3 million, Newmont Ghana with a donation of $500,000, and OmniBSIC Bank which presented GH₵250,000 to support the Black Stars’ participation at next year’s global football showpiece in North America.

Mr Thomas Nyarko Ampem, Deputy Minister for Finance and Chairman of the Black Stars World Cup Fundraising Committee, received the cheques on behalf of the government.

The contributions form part of a broader national fundraising initiative launched by President John Dramani Mahama in March this year aimed at mobilising $30 million from corporate Ghana, institutions and individuals to support Ghana’s World Cup campaign.

Ghana will make its fifth appearance at the FIFA World Cup after securing qualification for the expanded 48-team tournament to be hosted jointly by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The Black Stars have been drawn in Group L and are scheduled to open their campaign against Panama in Toronto, Canada on June 17, before taking on England in Boston, USA on June 23 and Croatia in Philadelphia, USA on June 27.

Presenting Stanbic Bank’s cheque, the bank’s Chief Executive, Mr Kwamina Asomaning, said the financial support had been deliberately structured to address both immediate participation needs and long-term performance motivation for the national team.

According to him, part of the package was intended to support the Black Stars’ preparations and logistical requirements, while another portion had been reserved as a performance incentive package to motivate the team to progress beyond the group stage and potentially challenge for the ultimate prize.

Mr Asomaning explained that the incentive component had been allocated all the way to the World Cup final.

He added, however, that should the Black Stars fail to progress to that stage, the reserved incentive funds would still be donated to a charity selected by the national team.

“It is a great pride for us to come together to support the Black Stars,” Mr Asomaning stated.

“As a bank, we have been inextricably linked to sports in Ghana and sponsored table tennis, arm wrestling, badminton, tennis, hockey, basketball, swimming and soccer has not been left out,” he said.

The Stanbic Bank Chief Executive expressed excitement about supporting Ghana’s participation at what he described as a major global sporting event.

“So we are quite excited today to be in a position to contribute to our participation in this global event,” he added.

The event also saw Newmont Ghana and OmniBSIC Bank reaffirming corporate Ghana’s growing commitment towards supporting national sports development and the Black Stars’ World Cup ambitions.

Receiving the donations, Mr Ampem commended the organisations for what he described as a patriotic contribution towards the national cause.

He said the response from corporate institutions since the launch of the fundraising campaign had been encouraging and demonstrated confidence in the Black Stars ahead of the tournament.

“We are grateful for the response and, as we have already indicated, we will meet here every Thursday to receive donations,” Mr Ampem said.

The fundraising initiative is expected to continue in the coming weeks as the government intensifies efforts to mobilise financial support to ensure adequate preparations for the tournament.

Government officials believe the campaign will ease financial pressure on the state while allowing broader national participation in supporting the Black Stars’ World Cup journey.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the first edition to feature 48 countries, making it the largest tournament in the competition’s history.