Accra Hearts of Oak will officially begin preparations for the 2026/27 season on Wednesday, July 22, after instructing all retained players and members of the technical team to report to the Pobiman Training Complex from July 20 to 21.
The reporting period is designed to allow the club to complete preliminary administrative and medical activities before full training begins in earnest, as the Phobians step up their preparations for the new campaign.
The club heads into the season determined to challenge for the Ghana Premier League title after finishing third in the 2025/26 campaign, narrowly missing out on the Premier League Title as well as CAF qualification. Under then-head coach Mas-Ud Didi Dramani, Hearts of Oak Amassed 54 points from 13 wins and 15 draws, finishing behind champions Medeama SC and runners-up Bibiani Gold Stars, with rivals Asante Kotoko settling for eighth.
Search for a New Coach Continues
Hearts of Oak remain without a substantive head coach following the departure of Dramani at the end of last season. The former Asante Kotoko manager, who had been appointed on a two-year contract in June 2025 to replace Aboubakar Ouattara, left the club after a board review of the campaign concluded that a new technical direction was needed to match the club’s broader ambitions, despite the improved league finish.
An announcement on his successor is expected in the coming days, and the start of pre-season is expected to give the club’s new technical team an early opportunity to assess the retained squad.
2025/26 Season
Final position: 3rd, Ghana Premier League
Record: 13 wins, 15 draws (54 points)
Champions: Medeama SC · Runners-up: Bibiani Gold Stars
Benjamin Asare’s World Cup Star Turn
The pre-season return comes with the club still basking in the exploits of one of its own on the global stage. Hearts of Oak goalkeeper Benjamin Asare emerged as one of the breakout stories of Ghana’s 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign, becoming the first Ghana Premier League player to feature at a World Cup finals when he came on as a substitute for the injured Lawrence Ati-Zigi during the Black Stars’ opening group match against Panama.
Asare went on to become the first Hearts of Oak or Ghana Premier League goalkeeper to start a World Cup match, keeping back-to-back clean sheets and producing a string of outstanding saves, including a commanding display against England that helped secure a goalless draw at Boston Stadium against Harry Kane and Thomas Tuchel’s side.
His performance in that match yielded six saves, more than any other goalkeeper who kept a clean sheet in the tournament at that stage.
The 33-year-old’s rise was later reflected in FIFA’s tournament Power Rankings, where he was placed sixth among all goalkeepers at the World Cup with an overall rating of 7.61, ranking ahead of established names including Jordan Pickford and reigning Golden Glove holder Emiliano Martínez.
Asare’s showing has been widely celebrated in Ghana as evidence that Premier League-based talent can compete at the highest level of the international game, and the club is expected to lean on that momentum as it rebuilds for the new campaign.
Foundations for a New Campaign
The start of pre-season will provide the incoming technical direction with an early opportunity to assess the retained squad and begin building toward what promises to be a crucial season. Hearts of Oak supporters will be hoping the club’s early return to training, combined with the confidence generated by Asare’s World Cup performances, lays the foundation for a successful campaign as the Phobians target their first league title in four years.