Winfried Schaefer offers valuable advice to home-based players as competition for Black Stars selection intensify.
Black Stars technical advisor Winfried Schaefer has offered a valuable advice to home-based players, urging them to raise their standards and remain committed as competition for places in the national team continues to intensify ahead of the 2026 World Cup tournament.
The global showpiece, to be co-hosted by United States, Canada and Mexico will feature an expanded 48 countries, with Ghana securing one of Africa’s automatic nine slots for the tournament.
The West Africa football powerhouse are paired in Group L alongside European giants, England, 2018 finalists, Croatia and Panama.
Players who ply their trade in the local scene have struggled for Black Stars call up, with Hearts of Oak captain and goalkeeper Benjamin Asare being the only regular home-based player in the team at the moment.
Having given assurance to closely monitor the Ghana Premier League, the veteran German tactician has been to many venues in the past two months assessing players who could strengthen the national team in the near future.
Schaefer was in attendance at the weekend when Medeama edged Samartex on penalties to book a place the quarterfinal of the Ghana FA Cup campaign.
In an exclusive interview with Medeamaa FM, Schaefer emphasized that the door to the national team remains open to players performing consistently in the Ghana Premier League and other local competitions.
For Schaefer, the local league remains the foundation of Ghanaian football, serving as the breeding ground for talent, insisting that a strong performances from home-based players can cushion them to highest level.
In addition, Schaefer highlighted the growing competition within the Black Stars setup, while encouraging local players not to be discouraged by the presence of Europe-based stars, but rather to view it as motivation to push themselves harder and improve their overall game.
“The heart of football in Ghana is in the local league, not only with players in Europe. I urge all players to work hard if they want to earn a call-up into the Black Stars.” He said.
Schaefer’s remarks come at a time when national team selection is becoming increasingly competitive, with the technical team focused on building a balanced squad capable of competing at the highest level in Africa and beyond. His comments underline the importance of consistency, discipline, and performance as key criteria for selection.
