West Ham United star Mohammed Kudus ended his 14-game goal drought as Ghana tightened their grip on Group I of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers with a routine 3-0 win over Madagascar on Monday.
The Black Stars extended their lead at the top of the table to five points after an impressive performance at the Grand Stade Al-Hoceima in Morocco.
Kudus, who has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, capped off the victory with a well-taken third goal after Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey netted a brace of headers.
Leicester City forward Jordan Ayew played a key role, providing assists for all three goals in a game where Ghana flexed their attacking muscles.
Kudus’ 58th-minute strike was his 12th in 35 games for Ghana, who have now won five of their six qualifier games.
With 15 points, Ghana sits comfortably ahead of Madagascar, who remain in second place with 10 points.
However, the gap could shrink to three if Comoros, who inflicted Ghana’s only qualifiers defeat so far, beat bottom-placed Chad on Tuesday evening.
The road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada continues with two more rounds of qualifiers in September and October, with the group winner guaranteed a direct ticket to the showpiece.
For Ghana, qualifying for the World Cup would be a major confidence boost after the disappointment of missing out on the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
Kudus’ goal was also his first for club and country since he netted the equaliser for West Ham in a 1-1 Premier League draw against Brighton & Hove Albion back in December.
The former Ajax star has seen his influence wane over the past couple of months, but he remains a key player in Graham Potter’s West Ham set-up.
Kudus has featured 27 times across all competitions this season, returning just three goals and two assists.
West Ham will hope his goal sparks a scoring spree as they look to end an awful campaign on a high.