By Nicole Fernandes
June 15 (Reuters) - Ghana will kick off their World Cup campaign seeking to regain their prowess as a globally competitive soccer nation, with their opening test coming on Wednesday against a Panama side eager for their first-ever win in the tournament.
But the Black Stars were dealt an early blow after midfielder Thomas Partey's visa application to enter Canada was refused, leaving him unavailable for the Group L match at Toronto Stadium.
Ghana sit 73rd in FIFA rankings after a stretch
of poor showings that included their failure to qualify for last year's Africa Cup of Nations, though they topped their World Cup qualifying group.
The four-times AFCON champions have tapped veteran Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz to help turn the tide and guide the country to the knockout stage for the first time since 2010, when they bowed out in the quarter-finals after a penalty shootout loss to Uruguay.
Queiroz has plenty of individual talent at his disposal but has had limited time to get his squad ready since taking the job in April.
With the team's talisman Mohammed Kudus missing the World Cup due to injury, Ghana will count on Manchester City forward Antoine Semenyo to lead a strong attack. After signing with the club in January, the 26-year-old netted 11 goals across all competitions, including the winner against Chelsea in the FA Cup final.
"Everything is possible when you have such wonderful ammunition in your hands," Queiroz said of his players after the team arrived in Rhode Island last week.
MUCH-IMPROVED PANAMA EYE FIRST WORLD CUP WIN
Panama are making their second World Cup appearance after showing great improvement under coach Thomas Christiansen. Since taking the reins in July 2020, the 53-year-old Dane has helped the country climb the FIFA rankings from 81st to 34th.
They finished runners-up to Mexico in last year's CONCACAF Nations League after beating the U.S. in the semi-finals, though they were knocked out of the Gold Cup quarter-finals by Honduras in a major upset.
Central America's only representative aim to showcase their progress as they hunt for their first World Cup win. They finished bottom of Group G with three defeats in their tournament debut in 2018.
Christiansen will rely on Pumas UNAM midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla and 2025 Gold Cup top scorer Ismael Diaz to lead the charge.
Sitting in a group that includes heavyweights England and Croatia, both Ghana and Panama face an uphill battle to reach the knockout stage. But Panama's Diaz said his team has belief and confidence.
"We're not afraid of anyone," Diaz told reporters on Saturday. "Whatever team comes up against us, we want to compete with them."
(Reporting by Nicole Fernandes in Toronto; Editing by Toby Chopra)
