CONFIRMED: Daniel Gaspar joins Black Stars technical bench as goalkeepers' trainer ahead of 2026 World Cup

Daniel Gaspar has been appointed as the goalkeepers’ trainer for Ghana’s national team ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, his club, Hartford Athletic, has confirmed.

The experienced Portuguese goalkeeping specialist joins the Black Stars technical team under newly appointed head coach Carlos Queiroz, extending a professional relationship between the two that spans more than three decades.

Gaspar and Queiroz have worked together in various capacities since 1992, forming one of the most enduring coaching partnerships in international football. Their collaboration has taken them across club and national team assignments over the years.

A highly respected figure in goalkeeping development, Gaspar’s coaching career includes multiple spells with the Portuguese national team setup in the early 1990s and again between 2009 and 2010, when he worked with several youth sides.

He has also been part of technical teams at the South African national team and clubs such as Sporting CP, Nagoya Grampus Eight, and the NY/NJ MetroStars. In 2003, he served as Portugal’s goalkeeping coach under Luiz Felipe Scolari before later working at Benfica under José António Camacho.

Gaspar reunited with Queiroz in 2011 during their time with the Iran national team, where he worked as assistant and goalkeeping coach. That period saw Iran qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and reach the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, reinforcing the success of their partnership.

Since joining Hartford Athletic in 2022, Gaspar has played a key role in the club’s recent progress, helping them achieve two of their most successful seasons in 2024 and 2025.

He also guided the team to their first-ever trophy with the USL Jägermeister Cup triumph last season. In the current campaign, Hartford has kept four clean sheets in seven matches under his guidance.

Gaspar now links up with Ghana as they prepare for their fifth World Cup appearance. The Black Stars have been drawn in Group L alongside England, Croatia and Panama.

Ghana will open their campaign against Panama on June 17, before taking on England on June 23 and Croatia on June 27.

Queiroz has been tasked with leading Ghana beyond the group stage, after disappointing exits in the 2014 and 2022 editions of the tournament.