A young Ghanaian legal practitioner, Sara Araba Tettey, has died after reportedly collapsing during celebrations following Ghana’s victory over Panama in the FIFA World Cup. She was rushed to hospital after becoming unresponsive at a student hostel in Kumasi, where medical teams later pronounced her dead despite intensive resuscitation efforts.

Sudden collapse during celebration
The incident occurred on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, during celebrations of Ghana’s win over Panama in the FIFA World Cup. Tettey, 26, was reportedly watching the match with friends at Standard Hostel in Bomso, near the campus of the Kumasi, when she suddenly became unresponsive shortly after the final whistle.
The match involved the Ghana national football team and the Panama national football team in their opening fixture of the tournament.

Friends and witnesses said she was immediately rushed to the KNUST Hospital, where medical personnel attempted to revive her using cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for about 45 minutes. Despite sustained efforts, she was later pronounced dead.

Tettey was a newly qualified lawyer, called to the bar earlier in the year. She studied at the Faculty of Law of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and was working with O & A Legal Consult. Colleagues described her as bright, disciplined, and widely regarded as a promising young professional.

Friends and former classmates have described her as “intelligent, compassionate, and full of promise.” The body has been deposited at the hospital mortuary pending autopsy and funeral arrangements.