Carlos Queiroz Withholds Ghana’s 28-Man World Cup List
carlos queiroz did not name Ghana’s final World Cup squad in Cardiff on Tuesday, even though he was expected to disclose the 28 players before the friendly against Wales. He also defended Thomas Partey, saying the midfielder should not be judged before a court ruling.
Queiroz in Cardiff
Queiroz answered the pressure around the squad list with a line that left the selection process open for the moment: “Olhe para mim com carinho, olhe para mim com carinho de novo, e você terá a resposta para sua pergunta”. He was in Cardiff, Wales, before the friendly and had been expected to name the final group before kickoff.
His refusal to release the list mattered because Ghana were moving into the last stretch before the World Cup, and the squad would shape the team’s start in Group L. Ghana open against Panama on 17 June in Toronto at 20:00 Brasília time.
Partey Under Pressure
Part of Queiroz’s answer centered on Partey, the former Arsenal and Atletico Madrid midfielder. The coach said: “Até onde eu sei, na Inglaterra, em Portugal, ou em qualquer lugar, ainda vivemos com a presunção de inocência, até que um tribunal tome uma decisão.”
He added: “Deixemos os eventos seguirem seu curso normal, deixemos o rio fluir, e um dia, quando o rio encontrar o oceano, nós vamos encontrar a verdade.” Partey has been accused of rape in England, and Queiroz’s stance put Ghana’s selection decision alongside a legal case that has not been resolved.
Partey was accused five times by two women for crimes allegedly committed between 2021 and 2022. He was also accused by a third woman of sexual assault last year, pleaded not guilty in an English court in February, and was arrested in 2025 before later receiving conditional release after paying bail.
Ghana’s Group L
Ghana are in Group L with Croatia, England and Panama, and the opening match against Panama is the first fixed marker in their tournament schedule. Partey signed with Villarreal in Spain in August of last year, keeping his club career in motion while his legal situation and his international status remain tied together in the same public debate.
That left Tuesday’s delay more than a routine squad holdback. Queiroz still had to deliver the final list, but he chose to speak first about innocence and process, not names. For Ghana, the next selection call now sits directly beside the question of whether Partey is included at all.
