Caleb Yirenkyi etched his name into Ghanaian football history after scoring a dramatic stoppage-time winner to hand Ghana a 1-0 victory over Panama in their 2026 FIFA World Cup opener on Wednesday, June 17, 2026.
The 20-year-old midfielder struck deep into added time at BMO Field in Toronto, breaking a tense deadlock and securing all three points for the Black Stars in Group L on his World Cup debut.
At 20 years and 153 days, Yirenkyi became the youngest Ghanaian ever to score at a FIFA World Cup, surpassing the record previously held by Asamoah Gyan, who was 20 years and 207 days when he netted against Czech Republic in 2006.
The midfielder also became the 10th different Ghanaian player to score at the Mundial, taking Ghana’s overall World Cup tally to 19 goals.
With this result, Ghana becomes Africa’s most successful nation at the World Cup, tied with Nigeria on 6 wins. However, the Black Stars reached that mark in just 16 games, compared to Nigeria’s 21.
For context, Mohammed Kudus remains the third-youngest Ghanaian scorer, having found the net at 22 years and 118 days against South Korea at the 2022 tournament.
Yirenkyi’s historic winner gives Ghana the perfect start to their Group L campaign, with tougher tests ahead against England on June 23 in Boston and Croatia on June 27.
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Story by Samuel Annang|univers.ug.edu.gh
Edited by Erica Odeenyin Odoom
