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Antoine Semenyo picked up the FIFA Man of the Match award after Ghana’s 2026 World Cup opener against Panama on June 17, 2026. The match, played at BMO Field in Toronto, marked Ghana’s first game in Group L of the tournament.
Semenyo’s performance capped a remarkable six months for the forward, who completed a move from Bournemouth to Manchester City in January 2026 for a reported fee of £64 million.
From Bournemouth to the world stage
Semenyo has been a Ghana international since 2022, when he was part of the Black Stars squad at the World Cup in Qatar. Four years later, he’s walking onto a World Cup pitch as a Manchester City player and walking off with the match ball.
Ghana’s World Cup history is a story of flashes of brilliance followed by extended rebuilding periods. The 2010 quarter-final run remains the high-water mark. The 2022 campaign in Qatar was forgettable.
The 2026 World Cup, co-hosted across North America, represents the expanded 48-team format. BMO Field in Toronto, typically home to Toronto FC in Major League Soccer, has been pressed into service as one of the Canadian host cities for the tournament.
The match was covered extensively by major sports news outlets, and Semenyo’s name trended across social platforms in the aftermath.
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