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Ghana national football team facts for kids

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Ghana
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) Black Stars
Association Ghana Football Association
Confederation CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation WAFU (West Africa)
Head coach Otto Addo
Captain André Ayew
Most caps André Ayew (120)
Top scorer Asamoah Gyan (51)
Home stadium Various
FIFA code GHA
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 52 Decrease 1 (7 February 2019)
Highest 14 (April–May 2007, February 2008)
Lowest 89 (June 2004)
Elo ranking
Current 51 Increase 4 (3 March 2019)
Highest 13 (30 June 1966)
Lowest 97 (14 June 2004)
First international
 Gold Coast and United Kingdom British Togoland 1–0 Nigeria 
(Accra, British Gold Coast; 28 May 1950)
Biggest win
 Nyasaland 0–12 Gold Coast 
(Nyasaland; 15 October 1962)
Biggest defeat
 Brazil 8–2 Ghana 
(São José do Rio Preto, Brazil; 27 March 1996)
World Cup
Appearances 4 (first in 2006)
Best result Quarter-finals (2010)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances 24 (first in 1963)
Best result Champions (1963, 1965, 1978, 1982)
West African Nations Cup / WAFU Nations Cup
Appearances 8 (first in 1982)
Best result Champions (1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 2013)
COSAFA Cup
Appearances 1 (first in 2015)
Best result Quarter-finals (2015)

The Ghana national football team represents the country of Ghana in men's international football matches. The team is known as the Black Stars. This name comes from the Black Star of Africa symbol found on the flag of Ghana. The team is managed by the Ghana Football Association, which is the main group for football in Ghana. Before 1957, the team played as the Gold Coast.

Ghana first played in the FIFA World Cup in 2006. The Black Stars have won the Africa Cup of Nations four times. These wins were in 1963, 1965, 1978, and 1982. They have also been runners-up five times. They have played in the CHAN four times, finishing second twice.

The official home jersey color for the Black Stars is white. Their away jersey color is yellow. These new colors were shown by PUMA, the official kit maker, in November 2024.

Team History and Achievements

On August 19, 1962, the Black Stars played against Real Madrid at the Accra Sports Stadium. Real Madrid was a top Spanish and European team at the time. The match ended in a 3–3 draw.

Charles Kumi Gyamfi became the coach in 1961. Under him, Ghana won two African Cup of Nations titles in a row, in 1963 and 1965. After these wins, the Black Stars had their biggest victory ever, beating Kenya 13–2 away from home. They reached the final of the tournament in 1968 and 1970. They lost both finals 1–0. Their strong performance in the 1960s earned them the nickname "the Black Stars of Africa."

The team's luck changed in the 1970s when they failed to qualify for three African Cup of Nations tournaments. But in the early 1980s, with new stars like Abedi Pele, they won their fourth African title. They beat Libya in the 1982 African Cup of Nations final. After this, they were knocked out early in 1984 and did not qualify for the next three tournaments. In 1992, they reached the final again but lost to Ivory Coast in a penalty shootout. The score was 11-10 after a 0-0 draw. Ghana was missing their best player, Abedi Pele, who was suspended for the final.

In the 1990s, some disagreements among players like Abedi Pele and Tony Yeboah affected the team. However, a new group of players from the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship became the core of the team. They went a year without losing in 2005 and qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In the 2006 World Cup, Ghana lost 2–0 to Italy. But they won against Czech Republic (2–0) and United States (2–1). This helped them move to the second round, where they lost 3–0 to Brazil.

Under coach Milovan Rajevac, the Black Stars won all their games in the qualification campaign. They were the first African team to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In the tournament, they were in Group D with Germany, Serbia, and Australia. They made it to the round of 16 and beat the United States 2–1 in extra time. This made them only the third African nation to reach the World Cup quarter-finals. They then lost to Uruguay in a penalty shootout. This happened after Uruguayan player Luis Suárez blocked a header with his hand near the goal in extra time. Asamoah Gyan missed the penalty kick given for the handball, and Ghana lost the shootout 4-2. They did not make it to the semi-finals, which would have been a first for an African country.

In 2013, Ghana became the only African team to reach the semi-finals of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations four times in a row, a feat they had also achieved between 1963 and 1970.

Ghana qualified for the 2014 World Cup by beating Egypt 7–3 over two games in November 2013. They were in Group G with Germany, Portugal, and the United States. They were eliminated in the group stage with one draw and two losses. However, they were the only team not to lose to Germany in the tournament, drawing 2-2 with the eventual winners.

In the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, they reached the final but lost to Ivory Coast on penalties. Their 2017 Africa Cup of Nations campaign ended in fourth place. In the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup, they finished behind Egypt and Uganda. At the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, they were knocked out by Tunisia in the Round of 16. In 2021, the Black Stars failed to win a match at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. They lost 3–2 to the Comoros and finished last in their group. This was the first time since 2006 they did not get past the group stage. They qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup by drawing 0–0 with Nigeria at home and 1–1 away, winning on away goals. At the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Ghana lost their first match to Portugal (3–2). They won their second match against South Korea 3–2. In a crucial match against Uruguay, Ghana lost 2–0 and finished last in their group. However, South Korea's win over Portugal meant Uruguay was also knocked out.

Ghana surprisingly failed to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. They finished last in their group behind Angola, Sudan, and Niger. This is the first time since 2004 that the Black Stars will miss the AFCON tournament.

Team Culture

Kits and Crest

Black Stars (Ghana national football team) Jersey 1970s—1980s
Home shirt: 1970s–1980s

The black star symbol was adopted after Ghana became independent in 1957. It has been on the Black Stars' kits ever since. Puma SE sponsored the kits from 2005 to 2014.

Ghana national football team (Black Stars) badge and national anthem
Badge and anthem

From 1990 to 2006, the Ghana national team used kits with the colors of the national flag: gold, green, and red. These are also known as the Pan-African colours. The gold, green, and red kit design was also used in the 1960s and 1970s. It featured gold and green vertical stripes with red shoulders. An all-black away kit was introduced in 2008. In 2015, the gold-red-green kit became the first kit, and the all-black kit became the second. A brown, blue, and gold third kit was added in 2012.

BuzzFeed rated the team's kit for the 2014 FIFA World Cup as the best kit of the tournament.

Ghana home kit 2008.svg
Ghana away kit 2008.svg
2008 Africa Cup of Nations 1st and 2nd kits
Kit supplier Period
Germany Erima 1991–1992
Germany Adidas 1992–2000
Italy Kappa 2000–2005
Germany Puma 2005–

Grounds

Kumasi Sports Stadium
Lizzy Sports Complex

The Black Stars train at various facilities. These include Agyeman Badu Stadium, Berekum Sports Stadium in Brong-Ahafo, the Tema Sports Stadium in Tema, and the Lizzy Sports Complex in Legon.

Team Organization

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) manages the Black Stars. The GFA signed a deal with the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) to sponsor the team. This deal made GNPC the main sponsor of the Black Stars. Before this, gold mining companies like Ashanti Goldfields Corporation also sponsored the team.

On August 28, 2013, the GFA launched its own TV channel called GFA TV. This channel has the rights to show all the Black Stars' matches. In November 2013, the Black Stars also signed a sponsorship deal with the Ghanaian bank UniBank.

Supporters

ACON 2015 GHA GUI (16512008192)
Ghana Supporters Union at an AFCON 2015 match between Ghana and Guinea

The Black Stars have many fans. Their stadium matches often have over 60,000 people attending. Sometimes, as many as 80,000 fans come to watch. For example, 84,017 spectators watched their 2010 FIFA World Cup quarter-final against Uruguay. A match against England in 2011 had the largest away fan group at Wembley Stadium since it reopened. About 700 million people watched this match around the world.

After the team played in the 2006 and 2010 World Cup, hundreds of excited fans welcomed them at Kotoka International Airport in Accra.

Rivalries

Sulley
Vs. Nigeria in the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations Quarter-Final

The Black Stars have a big rivalry with the Super Eagles, which is the Nigeria national team. This match is called the "Battle of Supremacy on the Gulf of Guinea". It's between two of Africa's most successful teams. The close location of the two countries and their competition in football and other areas make this rivalry strong. The match between these two countries is known as the Jollof derby.

Other rivalries include matches against Egypt, USA, and Uruguay.

Media and Arts

Black Stars matches are shown on TV and radio in English and Akan. For example, GTV and Viasat 1 have broadcast their games.

Many products like books, films, and songs have been made about the team. These often focus on past or future World Cups or Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.

  • Books: Books like Ghana, The Rediscovered Soccer Might: Watch Out World! tell the team's history. The Black Stars of Ghana by Alan Whelan is about their journey in the 2010 World Cup.
  • Documentary films: In 2010, Miracle Films Ghana Limited showed a film called Kwame Nkrumah & Ghana's Black Stars. It was about Kwame Nkrumah and how he helped make the Black Stars a strong team in African football.
  • Nickname: The team's nickname, the Black Stars, comes from the Black Star Line. This was a shipping company started by civil rights movement leader Marcus Garvey.
  • Dances: When the Black Stars score a goal, players sometimes do Ghanaian Azonto dances as part of their goal celebrations. At the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, they showed a special Azonto dance called "(Akan: Mmonko)" (shrimp). For the 2014 World Cup, they planned to use Alkayida dances for celebrations.
  • Songs: Musicians have created hiplife football songs for the team. The 2006 World Cup song, "Akan: Tuntum Nsorom Ye Ko Yen Anim" (Black Stars, We are moving forward), was made to encourage the team. Black Stars' captain and top scorer Asamoah Gyan even recorded a hiplife song called "African Girls" with 'Castro The Destroyer'. The music video shows his "Asamoah Gyan Dance" goal celebration from the 2010 World Cup. This song won an award in 2011.

Coaches

Position Name
Head coach Ghana Otto Addo
Assistant coach Morocco Joseph Laumann
Assistant coach Ghana John Paintsil
Goalkeeping coach Ghana Fatau Dauda

Coach History

Ghana national team u-21
Mali vs Ghana, exhibition game at Paris, 31 March 2015

Since 1957, the Black Stars have had 32 different head coaches. C. K. Gyamfi led the team to win three Africa Cup of Nations titles. These were in 1963, 1965, and 1982. This makes Gyamfi one of the most successful coaches in the tournament's history. Fred Osam Duodu helped the Black Stars win the 1978 Africa Cup of Nations. Coaches like Ratomir Dujković, Milovan Rajevac, and James Kwesi Appiah led the team to qualify for the World Cup. Two Serbian managers guided Ghana to their first two World Cup appearances. Otto Addo became the head coach of the Black Stars on March 15, 2024.

Players

Current Squad

The players listed below were chosen for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches in November 2024.

Caps (games played) and goals are correct as of November 18, 2024, after the match against Angola.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Lawrence Ati-Zigi (1996-11-29) 29 November 1996 (age 28) 27 0 Switzerland St. Gallen
1GK Jojo Wollacott (1996-09-08) 8 September 1996 (age 28) 12 0 Scotland Hibernian
1GK Abdul Manaf Nurudeen (1999-02-08) 8 February 1999 (age 26) 5 0 Belgium Eupen

2DF Alexander Djiku (1994-08-09) 9 August 1994 (age 30) 31 2 Turkey Fenerbahçe
2DF Gideon Mensah (1998-07-18) 18 July 1998 (age 26) 29 0 France Auxerre
2DF Alidu Seidu (2000-06-04) 4 June 2000 (age 25) 20 1 France Rennes
2DF Tariq Lamptey (2000-09-30) 30 September 2000 (age 24) 11 0 England Brighton & Hove Albion
2DF Jerome Opoku (1998-10-14) 14 October 1998 (age 26) 3 1 Turkey İstanbul Başakşehir
2DF Jonas Adjetey (2003-12-13) 13 December 2003 (age 21) 1 0 Switzerland Basel
2DF Razak Simpson (1998-07-15) 15 July 1998 (age 26) 1 0 Ghana Nations
2DF Nathaniel Adjei (2002-08-21) 21 August 2002 (age 22) 0 0 France Lorient
2DF Isaac Afful (1999-04-01) 1 April 1999 (age 26) 0 0 Ghana Samartex

3MF Mohammed Kudus (2000-08-02) 2 August 2000 (age 24) 39 11 England West Ham United
3MF Elisha Owusu (1997-11-07) 7 November 1997 (age 27) 15 0 France Auxerre
3MF Ibrahim Sulemana (2003-05-22) 22 May 2003 (age 22) 4 0 Italy Atalanta
3MF Michael Baidoo (1999-05-14) 14 May 1999 (age 26) 3 0 Sweden Elfsborg
3MF Abu Francis (2001-04-27) 27 April 2001 (age 24) 1 0 Belgium Cercle Brugge
3MF Emmanuel Antwi (2000-01-08) 8 January 2000 (age 25) 0 0 Ghana Great Olympics

4FW Jordan Ayew (1991-09-11) 11 September 1991 (age 33) 109 29 England Leicester City
4FW Antoine Semenyo (2000-01-07) 7 January 2000 (age 25) 25 2 England Bournemouth
4FW Abdul Fatawu (2004-03-08) 8 March 2004 (age 21) 24 2 England Leicester City
4FW Iñaki Williams (1994-06-15) 15 June 1994 (age 31) 21 1 Spain Athletic Bilbao
4FW Joseph Paintsil (1998-02-01) 1 February 1998 (age 27) 16 0 United States LA Galaxy
4FW Ernest Nuamah (2003-11-01) 1 November 2003 (age 21) 15 3 France Lyon
4FW Ibrahim Osman (2004-11-29) 29 November 2004 (age 20) 2 0 Netherlands Feyenoord

Local Team Players

The Ghana Football Association also manages a national team for players who only play in the local league, the Ghana Premier League. This team is called the Local Black Stars.

Team Records

Players in bold are still active with Ghana.

Most Games Played

20150331 Mali vs Ghana 170
André Ayew is Ghana's most capped player with 120 appearances.
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 André Ayew 120 24 2007–present
2 Asamoah Gyan 109 51 2003–2019
3 Jordan Ayew 108 28 2010–present
4 Richard Kingson 93 1 1996–2011
5 John Paintsil 91 0 2001–2013
6 Harrison Afful 86 0 2008–2018
7 Sulley Muntari 84 20 2002–2014
8 John Mensah 81 3 2001–2012
9 Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu 78 11 2008–2017
10 Kwadwo Asamoah 74 4 2008–2019

Top Goal Scorers

Gyan AfCON 2015
Asamoah Gyan is Ghana's top goalscorer with 51 goals.
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Asamoah Gyan 51 109 0.47 2003–2019
2 Edward Acquah 45 41 1.1 1956–1964
3 Kwasi Owusu 36 45 0.8 1968–1976
4 Tony Yeboah 29 59 0.49 1985–1997
5 Jordan Ayew 28 108 0.26 2010–present
6 Karim Abdul Razak 25 62 0.4 1975–1988
7 André Ayew 24 120 0.2 2007–present
8 Wilberforce Mfum 20 26 0.77 1960–1968
Sulley Muntari 20 84 0.24 2002–2014
10 Osei Kofi 19 25 0.76 1964–1973
Abedi Pele 19 73 0.26 1982–1998

Team Captains

  • Awuley Quaye (1978)
  • Kuuku Dadzie (1980–1982)
  • Emmanuel Quarshie (1982–1984)
  • Isaac Paha (1984)
  • James Kwesi Appiah (1984–1992)
  • Abedi Pele (1992–1998)
  • Charles Akonnor (1999–2001)
  • Stephen Appiah (2002–2010)
  • John Mensah (2010–2012)
  • Asamoah Gyan (2012–2019)
  • André Ayew (2019–)

Competitive Performance

FIFA World Cup

Black Stars (World Cup)
At the 2006 World Cup and vs. Uruguay in the 2010 FIFA World Cup quarter-final match at Soccer City, Johannesburg on 2 July 2010

Ghana has played in the FIFA World Cup four times: in 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2022. In 2006, they were the only African team to reach the second round. They were also the sixth African nation in a row to get past the group stage. Ghana had the youngest team in the 2006 tournament. FIFA ranked them 13th out of 32 countries.

In the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Ghana made it past the group stages. They reached the quarter-finals but were knocked out by Uruguay. They lost in a penalty shootout. This happened after Luis Suárez used his hand to block a goal-bound shot in extra time. FIFA ranked Ghana 7th out of 32 countries in 2010.

After beating Egypt in November 2013, Ghana qualified for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. They were in Group G with Germany, United States, and Portugal. For the first time, they did not get past the group stage. They drew 2–2 with Germany and lost 2–1 to both the United States and Portugal.

Round Pld W D L GF GA GD
World Cup Finals 15 5 3 7 18 23 −5
World Cup Quals (H) 34 24 8 2 78 19 +59
World Cup Quals (A) 33 9 8 16 37 42 −5
Total 82 38 19 25 133 84 +49
FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA Campaign
1930 to 1954 Part of United Kingdom Part of United Kingdom
Sweden 1958 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
Chile 1962 Did not qualify 2 1 1 0 2 0 1962
England 1966 Withdrew Withdrew
Mexico 1970
West Germany 1974 Did not qualify 6 3 1 1 14 5 1974
Argentina 1978 3 1 0 2 3 5 1978
Spain 1982 Withdrew Withdrew
Mexico 1986
Italy 1990 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 0 2 1990
United States 1994 4 2 0 2 4 3 1994
France 1998 8 2 4 2 9 8 1998
South Korea Japan 2002 12 4 3 4 10 11 2002
Germany 2006 Round of 16 13th 4 2 0 2 4 6 Squad 12 8 3 1 24 4 2006
South Africa 2010 Quarter-finals 7th 5 2 2 1 5 4 Squad 12 8 1 3 20 8 2010
Brazil 2014 Group stage 25th 3 0 1 2 4 6 Squad 8 6 0 2 25 6 2014
Russia 2018 Did not qualify 8 2 5 1 9 5 2018
Qatar 2022 Group stage 24th 3 1 0 2 5 7 Squad 8 4 3 1 8 4 2022
Canada Mexico United States 2026 Qualification in progress 4 3 0 1 7 5 2026
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined To be determined 2030
Saudi Arabia 2034 2034
Total Quarter-finals 4/16 15 5 3 7 18 23 89 44 22 21 135 66

Africa Cup of Nations

ACON 2015 GHA GUI (16511976922)
At the 2015 AFCON vs. Guinea in the quarter-finals.

The Black Stars of Ghana have won the Africa Cup of Nations four times. They won in 1963, 1965, 1978, and 1982. Only Cameroon and Egypt have won more titles. As the first team to win three AFCON tournaments, Ghana was allowed to keep the trophy permanently in 1978.

In November 2024, Ghana failed to qualify for AFCON 2025. This is the first time they have missed the tournament since 2004.

Africa Cup of Nations record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Squad Pld W D* L GF GA Campaign
Sudan 1957 Not affiliated to CAF Not affiliated to CAF
United Arab Republic 1959
Ethiopia 1962 Did not qualify 2 0 2 0 2 2 1962
Ghana 1963 Champions 1st 3 2 1 0 6 1 Squad Qualified as hosts
Tunisia 1965 Champions 1st 3 3 0 0 12 5 Squad Qualified as defending champions
Ethiopia 1968 Runners-up 2nd 5 3 1 1 11 8 Squad Qualified as defending champions
Sudan 1970 Runners-up 2nd 5 2 2 1 6 4 Squad 2 2 0 0 15 1 1970
Cameroon 1972 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 0 1 1972
Egypt 1974 4 1 0 3 3 7 1974
Ethiopia 1976 4 2 0 2 7 5 1976
Ghana 1978 Champions 1st 5 4 1 0 9 2 Squad Qualified as hosts
Nigeria 1980 Group stage 5th 3 1 1 1 1 1 Squad Qualified as defending champions
Libya 1982 Champions 1st 5 2 3 0 7 5 Squad 4 2 2 0 6 4 1982
Ivory Coast 1984 Group stage 6th 3 1 0 2 2 4 Squad Qualified as defending champions
Egypt 1986 Did not qualify 4 1 2 1 5 4 1986
Morocco 1988 2 0 1 1 1 2 1988
Algeria 1990 2 1 0 1 1 1 1990
Senegal 1992 Runners-up 2nd 5 4 1 0 6 2 Squad 8 5 2 1 11 2 1992
Tunisia 1994 Quarter-finals 5th 3 2 0 1 3 2 Squad 2 2 0 0 3 0 1994
South Africa 1996 Fourth place 4th 6 4 0 2 7 5 Squad 4 3 0 1 9 3 1996
Burkina Faso 1998 Group stage 11th 3 1 0 2 3 3 Squad 4 2 1 1 4 3 1998
Ghana Nigeria 2000 Quarter-finals 8th 4 1 1 2 3 4 Squad Qualified as hosts
Mali 2002 7th 4 1 2 1 2 2 Squad 6 4 1 1 16 8 2002
Tunisia 2004 Did not qualify 4 1 1 2 5 5 2004
Egypt 2006 Group stage 10th 3 1 0 2 2 3 Squad 10 6 3 1 17 4 2006
Ghana 2008 Third place 3rd 6 5 0 1 11 5 Squad Qualified as hosts
Angola 2010 Runners-up 2nd 5 3 0 2 4 4 Squad 12 8 1 3 20 8 2010
Gabon Equatorial Guinea 2012 Fourth place 4th 6 3 1 2 6 5 Squad 6 5 1 0 13 1 2012
South Africa 2013 Fourth place 4th 6 3 2 1 10 6 Squad 2 2 0 0 3 0 2013
Equatorial Guinea 2015 Runners-up 2nd 6 4 1 1 10 3 Squad 6 3 2 1 11 7 2015
Gabon 2017 Fourth place 4th 6 3 0 3 4 5 Squad 6 4 2 0 14 3 2017
Egypt 2019 Round of 16 12th 4 1 3 0 5 3 Squad 4 3 0 1 8 1 2019
Cameroon 2021 Group stage 19th 3 0 1 2 3 5 Squad 6 4 1 1 9 3 2021
Ivory Coast 2023 17th 3 0 2 1 5 6 Squad 6 3 3 0 8 3 2023
Morocco 2025 Did not qualify 6 0 3 3 3 7 2025
Kenya Tanzania Uganda 2027 To be determined To be determined
2029
Total 4 Titles 24/35 105 54 23 28 138 93 118 64 29 25 194 85
*Draws include matches decided by penalty shoot-out.

West African Nations Cup and WAFU Nations Cup

Olympic Games

Olympic Games record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad
1900 to 1956 Part of United Kingdom
Italy Rome 1960 Did not qualify
Japan Tokyo 1964 Quarter-finals 7th 4 1 1 2 7 12 Squad
Mexico Mexico 1968 Group stage 12th 3 0 2 1 6 8 Squad
West Germany Munich 1972 16th 3 0 0 3 1 11 Squad
Canada Montreal 1976 Withdrew after qualifying
Soviet Union Moscow 1980
United States Los Angeles 1984 Did not qualify
South Korea Seoul 1988
Since 1992 See Ghana national under-23 football team
Total Quarter-finals 3/8 10 1 3 6 14 31

Team Honours

Summary of Titles

Senior Competition 1 2 3 Total
CAF African Cup of Nations 4 5 1 10
CAF African Nations Championship 0 2 0 2
Total 4 7 1 12

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Ghana para niños

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