Ghana’s 55-man World Cup squad explained and when final team is announced

The 2022 World Cup is now just over a month away with the tournament set to take place outside the traditional summer window for the first time in its history.

As the Qatar World Cup quickly approaches, Ghana coach Otto Addo has been narrowing down who he wants in his squad.

While he will eventually have to name just 26 players he wants to take to Qatar, the manager is first set to name a provisional 55-man squad first.

The players selected will then need to impress the 47-year-old in just a matter of weeks if they want to make it into the final squad.

Here’s why Otto Addo is selecting a 55-man World Cup squad, when the squad will be announced, and who could be in it.

Why is Otto Addo announcing a 55-man World Cup squad?

When it comes to naming the national squad there is a certain process that all qualifying nations must follow.

Firstly, they must name a provisional squad and then they will later confirm their final 26-man squad.

The provisional squad, which must be submitted to FIFA, can include a range of between 35 to 55 players.

The 55-player limit was recently increased after being set at just 35 four years ago.

It’s believed that the Black Stars manager Otto Addo plans to use the full quota of players that can be named.

Addo’s final World Cup squad must then be selected from names on the provisional list.

When will the Ghana World Cup Squad be announced?

Otto Addo must submit his official provisional squad names to FIFA by today (October 21) but it’s unlikely that this list will be published.

FIFA will not be making the lists of provisional squads public and it’s also not required for teams to announce who is in their preliminary squad.

It’s expected that Otto Addo won’t publicly announce the provisional squad either but that as a courtesy clubs will be informed in the coming days if any of their players are on the list.

The Ghana manager must then submit his final 26-man squad for the World Cup to FIFA by November 13, just a week before the tournament begins.

However, it’s expected that Otto Addo will announce the official Ghana World Cup squad on November 10.