Jogi Löw's Sensational World Cup Return? Ghana Link Emerges

After a five-year hiatus from coaching, Joachim Löw could be on the verge of a surprising return to the sidelines for the upcoming World Cup.

Reports indicate that the former German national team coach and the Ghanaian Football Association are in discussions regarding a short-term appointment for Löw to lead the Black Stars at the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

Löw has reportedly been offered a monthly salary of 150,000 euros to take over, initially until the conclusion of the World Cup, following the dismissal of Otto Addo earlier this week.

Addo's departure came just hours after Ghana's 1-2 friendly defeat to the German national team. This followed an earlier significant 1-5 loss against Austria in another friendly. Addo had served in various capacities with the Ghanaian national team since 2021.

In 2022, he served as interim head coach for twelve matches and returned to that position in 2024. Under his guidance, Ghana successfully qualified for the World Cup in North America, winning seven out of eight qualifying matches. However, their campaign in last year's Africa Cup of Nations was a winless disaster. Addo initially retained his job solely due to the successful World Cup qualification but was ultimately let go after four consecutive friendly defeats with a 2:10 goal difference.

Jogi Löw's Potential Fourth World Cup Appearance

To persuade Löw to accept a short-term commitment with the Ghanaian Football Association, Winfried Schäfer is believed to be playing a significant role. Schäfer, currently the Technical Director for the Black Stars, reportedly maintains a good relationship with Löw. Schäfer himself is also considered a candidate for the coaching position in Ghana.

The 76-year-old Schäfer, known for his stints in the Bundesliga with Karlsruher SC and VfB Stuttgart, has since become a global football figure. He led Cameroon to the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea and has also coached the national teams of Thailand and Jamaica. His most recent coaching role was with the Qatari second-division club Al-Khor SC in 2021.

Should Löw decide to take the coaching role with Ghana, it would mark his fourth World Cup appearance as a coach. At the 2006 home World Cup, he was the assistant coach under Jürgen Klinsmann. After Klinsmann's departure from the DFB, Löw took over as national coach, initiating a highly successful era marked by attractive attacking football, which was crowned with the 2014 World Cup title in Brazil.

However, the historic group stage exit in Russia in 2018 signaled the beginning of the end of the Löw era. Before the 2021 European Championship, Löw announced his resignation. The 0-2 defeat to England in the round of 16 on June 29, 2021, remains Löw's last match as a head coach. Despite being unemployed for five years, he has consistently ruled out retirement and frequently hinted at a return to the coaching bench.

Löw's Long-Held Dream of a World Cup Return

In May of last year, Löw openly stated his ambition to coach at the 2026 World Cup. "I have always said that a World Cup is the 'salt in the soup' – it's the best experience a coach or player can have," Löw explained. "I've been involved in many knockout games, semifinals, and finals. That's as good as it gets. That's what you live for as a player or a coach."

For this reason, he expressed a desire to return to the coaching business, ideally for the final tournament next summer. "Of course, I would be happy if I had a competitive team. But so far, nothing has happened. So, I'm still waiting a bit."

Now, a significant opportunity appears to have presented itself.