Ghana’s Black Maidens will use the WAFU B U-17 Girls Cup of Nations in Yamoussoukro as an important test ahead of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
The team’s head coach says the main objective is to build a strong and competitive squad capable of making a good impact at the World Cup.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of their game against Burkina Faso, the coach said the tournament provides an opportunity to assess the players, improve the team and prepare them for the global competition.
“We are here to compete for the World Cup. We are going to use this tournament to assess our players, prepare them and go into the World Cup that will give us a good result,” he said.
Despite the focus on development, the coach insists Ghana will approach the WAFU B tournament with a strong competitive mindset.
He made it clear that the Black Maidens are not in Côte d’Ivoire simply to participate.
“We are here for business,” he said, stressing the team’s ambition to compete against the best sides in the tournament, including Nigeria.
The coach also highlighted the need for strength across all areas of the team. He said the technical team has worked to improve every department, from defence to attack, to give Ghana a balanced squad.
“If you want to compete with the best, you have to strengthen your team,” he explained.
Ghana also enters the competition with confidence after winning the previous edition staged in the country.
The coach believes that status as defending champions has lifted the players’ confidence and created a strong desire to retain the title.
“Everything is high because we are defending champions. The last one that we played in Ghana, we won it, so the spirit is already high. We are here to defend it,” he added.
The Black Maidens will face Burkina Faso today as they begin their title defence.
