“Devil of Wednesday’s” curse made England, and Harry Kane, run for their lives against Ghana. Despite being favorites against Ghana, they couldn’t score a single goal against them and ended up with a 0-0 score. Now, after sustaining that misery, the curse is lifted.

Before the match, Ghanaian spiritual leader Nana Kwaku Bonsam had predicted that England captain Harry Kane would not score. After the game, many fans remembered his prediction and joked on social media that his “curse” had come true because Kane missed a good late scoring chance.

“I am working on Harry Kane,” Nana Kwaku Bonsam said as reported by the Daily Star on June 22nd, 2026. “I have shown what I am capable of before, so I know what work I must do to stop him. I am not wishing him serious injury. It will be just enough to stop him from attacking my country. I will do my work so that it can help Ghana.”

After England’s draw with Ghana, Nana Kwaku Bonsam shared a video saying he had removed the spiritual curse that he claimed to have placed on Harry Kane before the match. He said the ritual was only meant to stop Kane from scoring against Ghana and was never intended to harm him. He also said he likes Kane and plans to visit him. On top of that, Bonsam even predicted that Kane would score in England’s next World Cup match against Panama.

“Harry Kane is free to score,” Bonsam said to LBC reporter Henry Riley. “Yes, yes, I did yesterday. Harry Kane is not my enemy. I have a baby boy. I’m going to name him Harry Kane. Because I have loved Harry Kane for a long time.”

Superstition aside, things did go south for Harry Kane and the team. England controlled almost the entire match and had 79% possession, but still failed to score. This made England the first team in the last 60 years of World Cup history to have that much possession in a match without scoring a goal.

The worst part is that Kane, who scored two goals against Croatia, could not do the same against Ghana. The Bayern Munich striker had only 19 touches of the ball, the fewest he has ever had in a major tournament match for England when playing the full 90 minutes. The 0-0 draw also ended England’s run of 12 straight wins. It was also the first time since October 2024 that England failed to win a competitive match.

However, for Ghana, the draw was a big success. The Black Stars remained unbeaten in their first two matches of the 2026 World Cup, making it only the second time in the country’s history that they had achieved this. The first time was at the 2010 World Cup, when Ghana went on to reach the quarterfinals. What made fans even more sure about the superstition was Kane missing a sitter in the dying minutes of the game.

The ball bounced in front of him near the goal. He tried to score with his left foot, but the ball went high over the goal and into the crowd. Because England could not score, the match ended 0-0, and the team missed the chance to move closer to qualifying for the Round of 16. This moment stayed with him after the game, too.

“I was waiting for an opportunity like that to fall my way,” Kane said after the game. “It did, and ⁠I ​just couldn’t quite get over ​the ball. But I’ve been a striker long enough to know ​they don’t always go in.”

The result also gave England their 13th goalless draw in World Cup history, the most by any country, ahead of Brazil’s nine. England also extended their unbeaten World Cup record against African teams to nine matches. But England and Kane are not the only ones who have faced this curse.

Nana Kwaku Bonsam’s history of curses

Nana Kwaku Bonsam is a well-known Ghanaian witch doctor who runs three traditional shrines in Accra. He calls himself “The Great Authentic Man.” According to his website, he has traveled to many countries and has lived in places such as New York, Amsterdam, Berlin, and Italy. He has also reportedly been featured in two profile articles by The New York Times.

But rather than his achievements, he has made headlines for the supposed curses he put on famous people.

One such case was back in 2014 when Nana Kwaku Bonsam claimed that he caused the knee injury that troubled Cristiano Ronaldo before the FIFA World Cup. However, Ronaldo still played in all three group-stage matches for Portugal and even scored against Ghana. Portugal beat Ghana, but the team was knocked out of the tournament over goal difference.

Before the World Cup, Ronaldo had been dealing with a knee injury and missed the final 12 matches of his club season. Years have passed, but Bonsam is still making sure his witchcraft doesn’t fade away. Now, let’s wait and see if Kane and his team perform well in the upcoming game, as the curse is now lifted.