Partey included in Ghana's provisional World Cup squad despite proceedings in Britain
Thomas Partey is on the provisional squad list of Ghana's national football team for the 2026 World Cup, even though criminal proceedings are being conducted against him in the United Kingdom over allegations of rape and sexual assault. According to a report by Ghanaian outlet Graphic Online, the Villarreal CF midfielder has been included among the 28 players selected by head coach Otto Addo for the final stage of preparations ahead of the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico. This is a provisional list, and the final squad lists of national teams, according to FIFA rules published for the 2026 World Cup, must be submitted by June 2, 2026.
Partey has been included among Ghana's midfielders alongside Kwasi Sibo, Augustine Boakye, Caleb Yirenkyi and Abdul Fatawu Issahaku. On the same list, according to Graphic Online's report of May 26, 2026, Mohammed Kudus and Mohammed Salisu are absent, having been left out due to serious injuries. The list therefore has both sporting and broader public significance: Ghana is heading into the World Cup without two important players, while attention has additionally focused on Partey because of the ongoing proceedings before the British justice system.
The criminal proceedings against Partey have not been concluded. According to an earlier statement by the British Crown Prosecution Service, he was charged in July 2025 with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. The Metropolitan Police stated at the time that the investigation began in February 2022, after the first report of rape, and that the alleged offences in the initial charges were linked to the period between 2021 and 2022. British media subsequently reported that in February 2026 two further rape charges were brought in connection with a second complainant and an alleged incident from 2020. Partey has denied the charges and, in his court appearances to date, has pleaded not guilty.
The provisional list is not yet a final decision
Inclusion on the provisional list does not automatically mean that Partey will be among the 26 players who will appear at the World Cup. Ahead of the 2026 tournament, FIFA announced that preliminary selections are subject to change until the final list is submitted. This is the usual procedure for major tournaments: coaches first register a wider pool of candidates and then, after medical checks, warm-up matches and assessments of form, reduce the list to the final number of players.
According to the published list, Ghana has retained a significant number of experienced internationals. Among the forwards, according to the same report, are Antoine Semenyo, Jordan Ayew, Inaki Williams, Ernest Nuamah and Brandon Thomas-Asante, while the defence includes, among others, Baba Abdul Rahman, Gideon Mensah, Alidu Seidu, Abdul Mumin and Alexander Djiku. In such a structure, Partey is listed as one of the most experienced players in midfield, which explains his sporting importance for coach Addo, but it does not remove the public interest in the question of how national teams deal with players who are involved in serious legal proceedings.
According to the available information, the Ghana Football Association did not publish a special explanation regarding Partey's inclusion alongside the latest provisional list. In an earlier case, during qualification for the 2026 World Cup, Ghana Football Association communications director Henry Asante Twum told local media that Partey had assured the association he was in the appropriate mental and physical condition to play. That statement was linked at the time to qualifying matches, not to the final list for the world tournament, but it shows the association's previous approach to his status in the national team.
Proceedings in London and the presumption of innocence
The charges against Partey are being handled in the United Kingdom, where the case falls under the jurisdiction of British judicial authorities. In July 2025, the Crown Prosecution Service announced that it had authorised the Metropolitan Police to bring charges against the then 32-year-old footballer. That statement listed five counts of rape and one of sexual assault. The Metropolitan Police announced on the same day that the charges related to three women and were connected with an investigation that began after a report from 2022.
The court proceedings have been ongoing since then, and according to reports by British media, Partey denied the charges before Southwark Crown Court in London and pleaded not guilty. On May 14, 2026, Sky Sports reported that the trial, which was initially scheduled for November 2026, had been postponed and was expected to begin on June 8, 2027. According to the same report, the proceedings are expected to last up to eight weeks. Since the proceedings have not been completed, Partey is entitled to the presumption of innocence until any final court decision.
In cases like this, it is important to clearly distinguish sporting status from criminal proceedings. The fact that a player has been included in a national team list does not amount to a judicial assessment of the charges, just as the charges themselves do not constitute proof of guilt. At the same time, the seriousness of the allegations and the public interest in proceedings involving well-known athletes make every decision by an association or club a matter of increased attention. Such an approach is particularly important because the allegations concern sexual violence, an area in which public communication must respect both the rights of the accused and the dignity of the people who filed the reports.
From Arsenal to Villarreal
Partey gained international recognition at Atlético Madrid, and in 2020 he moved to Arsenal in a transfer worth 45 million pounds, as British media reported at the time. At the London club he was an important part of the midfield, but he was also affected by injuries over several seasons. Arsenal confirmed in the summer of 2025 that his contract had expired, and after leaving the Premier League Partey continued his career at Spain's Villarreal CF.
His club status is also part of the broader context. Although he is under indictment, Partey has continued to play professionally, which is not unusual while there is no final conviction or specific sporting suspension. In such situations, clubs and associations usually rely on legal advice, internal regulations and an assessment of risk to the organisation, the team and public reputation. However, practice is not uniform: some organisations remove players from activities as soon as serious allegations arise, while others wait for formal decisions by courts or regulatory bodies.
For Ghana, Partey has for years been one of the most important midfield players. He has played at major African and world competitions, and in the national team he has often had the role of an experienced pillar of the side. According to earlier announcements by the Ghana Football Association, he was already brought back into the team in the qualification cycle for the 2026 World Cup as a player with extensive international experience. That is why his name on the provisional list for the final tournament is not a surprise in a sporting sense, but it is politically and ethically sensitive because of the court proceedings.
Ghana without Kudus and Salisu ahead of the tournament
Apart from Partey's status, the Ghanaian list is marked by the absence of Mohammed Kudus and Mohammed Salisu. Graphic Online reported that both have been ruled out of the World Cup due to serious injuries, which is a major sporting blow for the national team. Kudus is one of Ghana's most important attacking players, while Salisu has a key role in defence. Their absence increases the pressure on the remaining leading players, including Jordan Ayew, Inaki Williams, Antoine Semenyo and Partey.
Ghana reached the 2026 World Cup as a continuation of its return among African national teams with global ambitions. The Black Stars are traditionally one of the most followed African national teams, and they made their deepest mark at the World Cup in 2010 in South Africa, when they reached the quarter-finals. The 2026 tournament will be the first with an expanded format of 48 national teams, which increases the number of matches but also the competition in the groups. According to FIFA rules and the schedule, the final tournament will be played in three host countries, and the final national-team squads will be concluded shortly before the start of the competition.
Head coach Otto Addo must therefore deal with sporting and organisational challenges at the same time. Kudus's absence reduces creative options in the final third, while Salisu's absence changes the plans in defence. In such circumstances, midfield experience becomes even more important, which may explain why Partey has remained among the candidates. However, the final decision on his participation will depend on several factors, including physical fitness, the assessment of the coaching staff, possible legal obligations and decisions that could follow before the final list is submitted.
The broader problem of sport and criminal proceedings
The case of Thomas Partey once again raises the question of how professional sport deals with players against whom serious criminal proceedings are being conducted. Sports organisations are not courts and cannot determine criminal responsibility, but their choices have public consequences. A national-team call-up, especially for the World Cup, carries symbolic weight because the player represents not only a club but also a national association on football's biggest stage. For that reason, decisions to call up players under indictment are often viewed through legal, sporting, communication and ethical frameworks.
The British legal system in this case continues its course independently of sporting schedules. According to the available information, Partey is at liberty under bail conditions, and the trial has been postponed until June 2027. Such a time gap means that a possible appearance at the 2026 World Cup could precede the legal outcome. This creates a situation in which the public follows a player's sporting career while at the same time awaiting the conclusion of serious criminal proceedings.
For the Ghana Football Association, the issue is additionally sensitive because the decision is being made ahead of the most important competition in international football. The association must assemble the most competitive team possible, but also take reputational consequences into account. According to the available information, no decision has been published suspending Partey from national-team activities. Likewise, it has not been officially confirmed that he will definitely move from the provisional list into the final selection for the tournament.
Next steps before the final list
The nearest formal deadline concerns the submission of final lists to FIFA. According to FIFA rules for the 2026 World Cup, national teams must reduce their preliminary selections to final squads of 26 players. Until that moment, every change to Ghana's list remains possible, including possible alterations due to injuries, form or other circumstances. Therefore, Partey's current inclusion is important, but it is not yet final confirmation of his participation in the tournament.
In sporting terms, Ghana will try to compensate for the absence of injured players and find a balance between experience and freshness. In the public sense, attention will remain on how the association communicates decisions related to Partey and whether it will further explain the criteria for the final list. Until new official decisions are made, the most precise statement is that Partey is part of Ghana's provisional selection, that he has denied the charges and that the criminal proceedings in Britain are continuing before the court.
Sources:
- Graphic Online – report on Ghana's provisional squad list for the 2026 World Cup and the absence of Mohammed Kudus and Mohammed Salisu (link)
- FIFA – rules and deadlines for preliminary and final national-team squad lists for the 2026 World Cup (link)
- Crown Prosecution Service – official statement on the authorisation of charges against Thomas Partey in July 2025 (link)
- Metropolitan Police – official statement on the charges and the start of the investigation in the Thomas Partey case (link)
- Sky Sports – report on the postponement of Thomas Partey's trial until June 2027 (link)
- The Standard – report on additional charges from February 2026 (link)
- GHANAsoccernet – earlier report with a statement by the Ghana Football Association communications director on Partey's call-up to the national team during qualification (link)