Ghanaian prophet Roja has set tongues wagging after advising his congregation — and anyone else listening — that if they manage to travel to the United States for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, they should simply stay there.
Speaking during an appearance on Onua TV, he did not mince words. He said he would personally discourage any of his church members who attend the tournament from returning to Ghana, arguing that life abroad holds far greater promise than what the country currently offers its young people.
“If any of my members travel to the World Cup, I will tell them not to come back,” the outspoken prophet declared, framing his advice not as abandonment of country, but as a pragmatic response to the limited opportunities many Ghanaians face at home
The remarks landed like a thunderclap. Within hours, social media was ablaze — radio stations picked it up, television panels weighed in, and the debate spilled into everyday conversations across the country.
For some, Prophet Roja was simply saying out loud what many young Ghanaians whisper privately: that unemployment, economic hardship, and shrinking prospects at home are pushing a generation to look outward.
Supporters read his comments as metaphorical — a rallying cry for self-determination rather than a literal instruction to abandon the motherland.
Critics, however, were less forgiving. Several commentators condemned the remarks as reckless, warning that encouraging permanent emigration undermines national development and feeds into a damaging cycle of brain drain — the steady exodus of skilled, ambitious citizens that leaves the country poorer in both talent and potential.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup — to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico — already promises to be a landmark event. It will be the first edition to feature an expanded 48-team format, and is expected to draw millions of fans from across the globe, Ghanaians among them.
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That backdrop gives Prophet Roja’s comments an added edge. For many young Ghanaians, the tournament represents not just a football spectacle, but a rare and tangible pathway to the world beyond their borders.
Whether the prophet meant every word literally or was reaching for dramatic effect, his statement has clearly struck a nerve — and for good reason.
The conversation it has ignited goes well beyond football. It cuts to the heart of questions Ghanaians are increasingly asking themselves: What future does the country offer its youth? Who is responsible for creating opportunity? And at what point does leaving stop being a choice and start being the only rational option?
Those are questions no visa, no World Cup ticket — and no prophet — can answer alone.