Joseph Paintsil has made a return to the Black Stars for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers next month.

The LA Galaxy forward missed Ghana's games against Mali and the Central African Republic in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in June due to an injury.

However, the former KRC Genk attacker has fully recovered and has been named in the squad for the games against Angola and Niger in the first matches of the AFCON qualifiers.

Paintsil has been a key figure for LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer (MLS), scoring eight times and assisting seven times in 22 appearances for the side.

The Black Stars are set to play against Palancas Negras at the Baba Yara Stadium on September 5 and will then travel to face Niger on September 9.

As revealed by Footballghana.com, coach Otto Addo has submitted the squad for these matches to the Ghana Football Association (GFA) Executive Council.

Notably, no players from the Ghana Premier League have been included in the squad.

Ghana is aiming to secure one of the top two positions in Group F to qualify for the AFCON tournament, scheduled to be held from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026.