Ghana’s Black Starlets have been drawn in a challenging Group A for the 2027 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying tournament in the WAFU Zone B.
The five-time African champions will face hosts Burkina Faso, Benin and Togo in the group stage of the competition, which will also serve as the regional qualification tournament for the 2027 U-17 AFCON.
The tournament is scheduled to begin on October 10, 2026, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, with the participating countries battling for places at the continental tournament.
Coach Kassim Ocansey Mingle and his team will have to negotiate a difficult group if they are to progress to the latter stages of the competition.
All four countries have a strong history of developing young footballers, making the group one of the more competitive sections of the tournament.
Burkina Faso, who will have the advantage of playing on home soil, are expected to pose a major challenge to the Black Starlets.
Benin and Togo will also be hoping to take advantage of the competition to secure qualification and strengthen their youth football programmes.
Ghana will be aiming for a strong showing after missing the 2025 U-17 AFCON tournament.
The Black Starlets have traditionally been one of Africa’s most successful youth teams, winning the continental title twice and lifting the FIFA U-17 World Cup on two occasions.
Their most recent major continental success came in 1999, while Ghana also won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 1991 and 1995.
