Most goalkeepers who reach the pinnacle of international football do so in their mid-twenties, riding hype from European academies and Champions League nights. Benjamin Asare took a different route. The 33-year-old Ghana Premier League veteran earned his first senior call-up in March 2025, posted back-to-back clean sheets on debut, and has now secured a spot in Ghana’s squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

He’s the first goalkeeper playing in the GPL to represent the Black Stars at a World Cup. That sentence alone tells you everything about the scale of what he’s accomplished.

From domestic grind to international spotlight

Asare, born July 13, 1992, stands 1.88 meters tall and plays for Accra Hearts of Oak, one of the most storied clubs in Ghanaian football. He joined Hearts in July 2024, signing a deal that runs through June 2027. That changed in March 2025 when Ghana’s coaching staff called him up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

In his debut matches, Asare kept consecutive clean sheets against Chad and Madagascar.

Awards, recognition, and a World Cup ticket

At the 50th SWAG Awards in 2025, he was named Male Home-Based Footballer of the Year, a recognition that honored both his contributions to Hearts of Oak domestically and his performances in the Black Stars jersey.

The SWAG Awards, organized by the Sports Writers Association of Ghana, carry significant weight in the country’s football culture.

Asare has been included in Ghana’s final roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, making him the first goalkeeper based in the Ghana Premier League to earn that distinction.

Asare’s contract with Hearts of Oak runs through June 2027, meaning he’ll return to club duty after the World Cup with even more visibility and credibility.