Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo has revealed that it was an ‘easy decision’ to choose the Black Stars ahead of England for international football, ahead of the two sides’ meeting at the 2026 World Cup in June.
The Manchester City attacker, who is also eligible for France, told the ‘In The Mixer‘ podcast that he never seriously considered an international future with England, and has never looked back after committing to Ghana in 2022.
“Ghana came at 20, 21?” he said, “and I can’t turn down playing first team for Ghana, so it was such an easy decision.
“No [it was] never a difficult decision. I was never in the England rankings like that anyway,” the Chelsea-born forward added. “My dad was so happy [when I chose], celebrating.
“He was like: ‘Yeah, you didn’t play for England!’ They were just happy, everyone in my family was so happy,” he continued. “They support Ghana…I couldn’t even tell you.
“They watch games and it’s crazy; shouting, kicking stuff in the house. It’s serious.”
Semenyo is set to face the land of his birth at the World Cup later this year after England and Ghana were drawn together in Group L. They meet in Boston on June 23, with Croatia and Panama the other two teams in the pool.
“It’s going to be tough,” Semenyo said, looking ahead to the England game, “but yeah, I’m looking forward to it.
“It’s a tough group because you can’t underestimate Panama. You think it’s easy, but it’s not that easy. It will be a tough game; they won’t be a pushover.
“Croatia and England are obviously top teams. Trying to get out of the group is what we want essentially, but it’s not going to be easy at all.”
Since making his debut for the Black Stars almost four years ago, Semenyo represented them at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, as well as at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2024, when they were eliminated in the group stage.
He was also part of the side that failed to qualify for last year’s AFCON in Morocco, a year before securing their place at this year’s World Cup.
In a squad in transition, he’s quickly become one of the national side’s talismans.
“I imagine [my family will be watching me in the States], yeah,” Semenyo said, meanwhile. “Mum and dad will be there, for sure. Uncles and aunties, they will probably be there too to be honest. There’ll be loads of them.
“In Ghana, the expectation is that every ball I touch has to be in the back of the net,” he explained. “If it’s not, you’re crap. That’s how they are.
“They love football over there, football is everything, so when we don’t do well, it’s a meltdown. There’s a lot of pressure.”
Semenyo also acknowledged the impact of losing Mohammed Kudus to injury, with the Tottenham Hotspur attacker set to miss the tournament after sustaining a setback in his bid to return to full fitness after being sidelined since December.
“It’s frustrating, because he’s a pivotal factor for the team for sure,” Semenyo said.
