Our prediction for this World Cup 2026 match:
Sparkles will be flying when Mali and Ghana go head to head at Stade du 26 Mars in the Group I derby. Mali aim to overtake Comoros in top position, but they face a difficult challenge against the Black Stars. A man to keep an eye on in the home team will be El Bilal Toure, who won the Europa League trophy with Serie A side Atalanta. Ghana, on the other hand, failed to win the previous seven games in all competitions.
The visitors are eager to bounce back from a 1-0 loss to Comoros, but beating Mali on the road is easier said than done. Taking everything into account, we believe that there is a big value in betting on draw. The good news for the visitors is that fit-again Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey is back to the squad, but Athletic Bilbao ace Inaki Williams has been ruled out with injury. The likes of Majeed Ashimeru, Baba Iddrisu, Joseph Paintsil, Nathaniel Adjei, Dennis Odoi, and Daniel Amartey miss out with injuries as well.
Highlighted Player (Thomas Partey):
After starting his youth career at Odometah, Thomas Partey was spotted by Atletico Madrid scouts in 2011 and he soon joined the Estadio Vicente Calderon outfit. The defensive midfielder, who born in Odumase Krobo, Ghana on 13 June, 1993, played 33 league games for Atletico Madrid B, while making 14 league appearances for the first team.
After ending his loan spells with Mallorca and Almeria, Thomas Partey returned to Atletico Madrid in 2015 and he made his debut for Diego Simeone’s team in a 1-0 win over Espanyol. The Ghanaian footballer played in the 2015/2016 Champions League final against Real Madrid, coming as a substitute in the 116th minute of the game.
Thomas Partey made his Ghana debut in a 2-0 win over Mauritius in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match. His main position is defensive midfield, but the Atletico Madrid man is capable of playing as a central midfielder as well. Partey scored two goals for los Rojiblancos in the 2015/2016 La Liga campaign.
Highlighted Team (Mali):
Mali are an African football team that have never participated at the World Cup finals. Les Aigles (the Eagles), though, did well to make it to the 1972 African Cup of Nations final, with the team facing Congo in the title game.
Mali suffered a 3-2 loss to Pierre Lechantre’s men back then, but that is regarded as the team’s biggest success. The Malian national football team play their home games in yellow shirts and yellow shorts, while the colour of the team’s away kit is white. Stade du 26 Mars is regarded as the home stadium of Mali and the capacity of the venue is 60,000. Les Aigles won the Amilcar Cabral Cup on three occasions (1989, 1997 and 2007) and they made it to the final of the tournament four times.
Frederic Kanoute is the most notable footballer who played for the Malian national team and the former Sevilla and Tottenham attacker scored 23 goals in 39 appearances for the Eagles.