We are counting down the days until the 2022 FIFA World Cup with a weekly focus on one team from each of the tournament’s eight groups. You can watch every match LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE on SBS and SBS On Demand.
On January 18, Ghana sank to an all-time low when they failed to win a single game in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) for the first time in its 65-year history, going down 3-2 to tournament debutants Comoros in their final group match.
The humiliating defeat and subsequent exit from the tournament appeared to signal the continued demise of the Ghanaian national team, amid their failure to qualify for the previous World Cup finals in Russia and with a current qualification campaign on the rocks after their narrow escape from the second round of African qualifiers.
Falling from 52nd to 61st in the world rankings and with a two-legged World Cup play-off tie against 32nd-placed Nigeria on the horizon, head coach Milovan Rajevac was swiftly shown the door after just four months in charge of the national team.
On February 9, 13 days after his departure, Rajevac's assistant at the AFCON, Otto Addo, was named in his place as interim manager, while former Premier League head coach Chris Hughton was announced as the team's technical adviser.
What happened next was nothing short of extraordinary, as the Black Stars went on to hold Nigeria to a scoreless draw during their home leg in Kumasi, before opening the scoring inside 10 minutes of the second leg courtesy of Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey, which cancelled out Nigeria's 22nd-minute equaliser via the away-goal rule.
The African nation qualified as the lowest ranked team for the 2022 finals in Qatar, with the play-off success proving enough to warrant Addo's permanent appointment as head coach until December.
Addo and Hughton were announced alongside assistant coaches George Boateng and Mas-Ud Didi Dramani in May as Ghana's coaching panel for the tournament, and despite a recent run of mixed results, the side have already shown strong signs of improvement from the managerial shake-up.
The Black Stars have quickly diverted from the flat midfield of their former manager's 4-4-2 formation into a more ideal diamond midfield shape with a 4-1-2-1-2 set-up, which better supports the defensive tendencies of Mallorca holding midfielder Iddrisu Baba and the attacking potential of young Ajax playmaker Mohammed Kudus.
The side also adopted a 4-2-3-1 formation for their June AFCON qualifier against Central African Republic, which could bode well for the potential pairing of Partey and Baba in defensive midfield at the finals in Qatar.
However, as evidenced through their incredible qualification feat, the masterminds behind the tactical switch-up and Ghana's resurgence also seem to be the kind of men who are capable of shaking things up in Group H, if their managerial history is any indication.
New head coach Addo served as an assistant with Borussia Dortmund during their DFB Pokal Cup-winning 2020-21 season, where they also managed a sixth-consecutive entry into the UEFA Champions League, while technical advisor Hughton has had a tumultuous history in English football, with achievements which include securing Premier League promotion with both Newcastle United and Brighton and Hove Albion.
With star veteran brothers André and Jordan Ayew also looking to rise to the occasion in Qatar, the Ghanaians are undoubtedly more than capable of producing an upset despite facing a tough group.
After playing against a star-studded, Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portuguese outfit in their opening match, the Black Stars will then face a South Korea side captained by Premier League golden boot-winner Son Heung-Min before aptly closing out the group stage against their 2010 quarter-final opponents Uruguay.
Luis Suarez, a familiar foe, is set to appear for the South American side as the tournament's group stage reaches its fitting conclusion.
How to watch the 2022 FIFA World Cup LIVE – Group H matches
Thursday, November 24
Group H - Uruguay v Korea Republic
11:30pm - 2:30am (AEDT)
LIVE on SBS and SBS On Demand
Friday, November 25
Group H - Portugal v Ghana
2:30am - 5:30am (AEDT)
LIVE on SBS and SBS On Demand
Monday, November 28
Group H - Korea Republic v Ghana
11:30pm - 2:30am (AEDT)
LIVE on SBS and SBS On Demand
Tuesday, November 29
Group H - Portugal v Uruguay
5:30am - 8:30am (AEDT)
LIVE on SBS and SBS On Demand
Saturday, December 3
Group H - Korea Republic v Portugal
1am - 4:30am (AEDT)
LIVE on SBS and SBS On Demand
Group H - Ghana v Uruguay
1:30am - 4:30am (AEDT)
LIVE on SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand
