A Ghanaian witch doctor publicly vowed to “curse” Harry Kane before England met Ghana at the 2026 World Cup, and Kane promptly endured a goalless, frustrating night.
No, witchcraft did not decide a World Cup game. But the story is the most fun football folklore of the tournament so far.
What the Ghana witch doctor said about Harry Kane
Self-styled Ghanaian spiritualist Nana Kwaku Bonsam announced he was “working on” Harry Kane to stop the England captain shining against Ghana.
He made the threat in the days before the Group L clash, according to Goal.
He was careful to say he wasn’t wishing a serious injury. In his words: “It will be just enough to stop him against my country. I will do my work so that it can help Ghana.”
The timing made it juicier.
Kane went into the game in red-hot form, having scored twice in England’s 4-2 win over Croatia to draw level with Gary Lineker’s all-time England World Cup scoring record of 10 goals, leaving him one goal from a new outright mark.
Then came the match in Boston.
England and Ghana drew 0-0, Kane stayed off the scoresheet, and a missed close-range chance was all social media needed to crown the curse.
The punchline arrived after full time. Bonsam reportedly posted a video saying he’d had a change of heart and was now “going to release Harry Kane so that his next match he can score a goal,”
Not the witch doctor’s first “curse” at a World Cup
Bonsam is a Ghanaian traditional priest who has built a global brand out of football “curses.”
This isn’t his first World Cup headline.
Back in 2014, he claimed responsibility for the knee injury that troubled Cristiano Ronaldo before Portugal faced Ghana, as the same Goal report notes.
He said the injury was “spiritual” and that “today it is his knee, tomorrow it is his thigh,” and that no doctor would find the cause.
For the record, there’s no credible evidence linking his rituals to Ronaldo’s injury, Kane’s quiet night, or anything else.
Strikers have off days at World Cups with or without a shrine involved.
Football’s long, strange love affair with witchcraft
Spiritual rituals have shadowed African football for generations, treated by some teams as a performance edge rather than a sideshow.
Resident spiritualists have sat alongside physios at clubs across Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon, as New Lines Magazine describes.
The folklore comes with some genuinely wild moments:
| Country | What happened |
|---|---|
| Cameroon, 2002 | Former goalkeeper Thomas Nkono was detained and manhandled by police at the Africa Cup of Nations after being suspected of planting juju near the goal, per New Lines Magazine. |
| Senegal | Goalkeeper Tony Sylva was rumoured to have had his posts smeared with “magic” ointment before a long clean-sheet run. |
| Egypt | Pre-final rituals have long been part of the Pharaohs’ Africa Cup lore. |
| Tanzania | Clubs have reportedly spent thousands on spiritual “services,” with powders, eggs and stranger tactics turning up pitchside. |
| Ivory Coast | The “curse of the Elephants” began when sorcerers from the village of Akradio were enlisted to help the team win the 1992 Africa Cup of Nations, then reportedly never paid. Ivory Coast went 23 years without another AFCON title until finally lifting the trophy — and, fans said, the curse — in 2015, as the Daily Maverick recounted. |
| Rwanda | A 2016 league match turned chaotic when a Rayon Sports player sprinted to the goalpost to dig up a hidden “juju” charm, sending the rival goalkeeper chasing him across the pitch. The national federation responded by banning witchcraft from matches, as the Washington Post reported. |
Authorities have tried to stamp it out.
The Confederation of African Football moved to explicitly ban sorcery, witchcraft and ritual manipulation during matches, framing it as a fair-play violation.
And it isn’t only a West African story.
Argentina leaned on its own “army of witches” — a collective nicknamed La Brujineta — who claimed to channel protective energy toward Lionel Messi during the 2022 winning run, as the Buenos Aires Herald reported.
Religion and ritual sit closer to mainstream football than people admit, too. Blessed water, pre-match prayers and personal good-luck routines feature across the global game, as ESPN has documented.
For the tour of team’s charms and good-luck habits this tournament, see our guide to World Cup rituals, habits and superstitions.
Heading to the World Cup?
The 2026 World Cup is spread across the United States, Canada and Mexico, so the real magic is sorting flights and hotels early.
Boston is one of the host cities catching attention after the England–Ghana drama.
If you’re travelling from the Gulf or South Asia, start with the host cities you actually want to be in:
- Flights to Boston — and hotels in Boston for the New England fixtures.
- Flights to New York and hotels in New York for the New York/New Jersey final on 19 July.
- Flights to Los Angeles and hotels in Los Angeles for the West Coast matches.
- Flights to Mexico City if you’re chasing the atmosphere south of the border.
You can also keep an eye on schedules and disruptions with the Wego flight tracker. It’s more reliable than any shrine.
As for the curse: enjoy the story, screenshot the memes, and book your trip on logistics rather than luck. Kane will be fine, and so will your itinerary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did the Ghana witch doctor really curse Harry Kane?
Nana Kwaku Bonsam publicly claimed he would, and Kane had a goalless game in the 0-0 draw. There is no evidence any curse affected the result.
What was the England vs Ghana result?
The Group L match at Boston Stadium on 23 June 2026 ended 0-0. Kane missed a close-range chance and didn’t score.
Is juju actually banned in football?
The Confederation of African Football has moved to ban witchcraft and ritual manipulation during matches as a fair-play violation. Enforcement is difficult, since most rituals happen off the pitch.
Sources
- Goal — Ghanaian witch doctor vows to ‘stop’ Harry Kane in World Cup clash
- Gulf News — Who is Nana Kwaku Bonsam? The witch doctor behind the Ronaldo and Kane curse claims
- Türkiye Today — Ghanaian traditional priest claims he cursed Harry Kane
- Open — The Ghanaian witch doctor who ‘cursed’ Ronaldo has now targeted Harry Kane
- Buenos Aires Herald — How 30,000 Witches Helped Argentina Win the World Cup
- New Lines Magazine — The Enchantment of African Soccer
- ESPN — Blessed water, paper burning and spiritual healers: Religion and rituals in soccer
- Daily Maverick — Elephants never forget: Ivory Coast lift the curse of the AFCON choke
- Washington Post — Rwanda bars witchcraft from soccer after player digs up bad juju
Disclaimer: Wego strives to ensure all information presented in this article is accurate and up to date at the time of publication. Travel policies, prices, visa requirements, and conditions can change rapidly. We strongly recommend verifying critical details with official sources before making travel decisions. Wego does not accept liability for any inaccuracies, oversights, or changes that may occur after publication.
