Mohammed Kudus is considering his international future after being dramatically dropped from Ghana’s 2026 World Cup squad just one hour before the official announcement, sources close to the West Ham star have revealed.
The explosive details expose a last-minute U-turn by head coach Carlos Queiroz, despite assurances from Tottenham Hotspur’s medical staff that the midfielder would be fit for Ghana’s second group game.
According to a trusted source inside Kudus’s camp, Ghana FA officials had been in direct dialogue with Spurs’ doctors over concerns about the player’s fitness. The Premier League club reportedly informed the FA that Kudus’s injury was not serious enough to rule him out of the tournament and that he would be fully available by matchday two.
“Kudus believed everything was settled,” the source told our reporter. “Carlos Queiroz personally called him last week and told him he was part of the final squad plans.”
But that assurance crumbled on squad release day. Queiroz allegedly phoned Kudus privately one hour before the list was made public, explaining that internal federation pressure had forced a change of heart. The reason: Ghana could not risk carrying an injured player for the opening match.
“Carlos told him: ‘The medical reports are positive, but the federation doesn’t want to take the risk politically if results go wrong early in the tournament,’” the source claimed.
Kudus, who has 35 caps for the Black Stars, was said to be furious. With Spurs having already provided medical guarantees, he believes the decision had nothing to do with football.
“Kudus told people close to him that if the FA already knew he’d be fit during the group stage, then football reasons were no longer the issue. He feels betrayed because they gave him hope, included him in plans, then abandoned him at the last second.”
The emotional toll of missing the World Cup has been so severe, the source added, that Kudus is now seriously considering stepping away from the national team entirely after the tournament.
The Ghana FA and Carlos Queiroz have not yet responded to requests for comment.
