Former Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has thrown his support behind Ghana ahead of their crucial FIFA World Cup Group L encounter with England, predicting the Black Stars can come away with a valuable draw, Footynaija reports.
Troost-Ekong, who recently retired from international football after Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, is working as a pundit for SuperSport during the tournament. Despite the long-standing football rivalry between Nigeria and Ghana, the Al Ahli Doha defender said he wants the Black Stars to represent Africa well on the global stage.
Speaking during a SuperSport media roundtable, he said: “I would love Ghana to go and do well. I think the beauty of the World Cup, and I think all the teams, even when we’ve been at the World Cup before – we want to see the other African teams do well, I think it’s very important for the continent.
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“Besides the rivalry, where we play against each other, often there’s also a lot of love for each other, because we know the players well, and maybe from my perspective now, having retired from the national team, it’s easier to say that.”
The former Watford centre-back was impressed by Ghana’s 1-0 victory over Panama and singled out substitutes Brandon Thomas-Asante and Abdul Fatawu for praise.
“I was very happy with their performance against Panama [in a 1-0 win]. Leading up now for the game against England, there were a lot of positives. I thought they looked very resilient in that game. I think the introduction of the substitutions in the second half — especially with Brandon Thomas-Asante and Abdul Fatawu, who came in — those players made a really big difference. I think they’ve given [England] something to think about.”
While uncertain about Thomas Partey’s availability, Troost-Ekong believes England showed defensive weaknesses in their 4-2 win over Croatia.
“I think picking up the three points [against Panama] will give them a chance to play confidently against England. I think against England, when I’ve seen them play, there’s definitely opportunities to take advantage.
“So if I was predicting that game, I’m probably going to say a draw because I could see both teams score.”
The Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup after losing the playoff ticket to DR Congo.
