Ghana Football Association (GFA) President Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku has visited the Black Princesses in Poland as they put final preparations in place for their opening game at the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
Okraku used the visit to assure the players and technical team of the GFA’s continued support while challenging them to make history by reaching the knockout stage of the competition for the first time.
Ghana will begin their Group C campaign against Ecuador on Sunday, September 6, before facing South Korea and France in their remaining group matches.
The GFA president said the opening match would be particularly important because a positive result could provide the team with the confidence needed to perform well in the rest of the tournament.
“A few days ago, I was in a chat with the head coach and I promised that I was going to join him for what I think is the most important game for us, which is the first game,” Okraku said.
“For me, the first game is the most important, because if we start well, chances are that we will do well.”
The Black Princesses have established themselves as one of Africa’s most consistent teams at the U-20 Women’s World Cup.
Ghana have qualified for the tournament for an eighth consecutive time but have never progressed beyond the group stage.
Okraku believes the current squad has enough quality to break that long-standing record.
He urged the players to make their sacrifices and preparations count, insisting that Ecuador, South Korea and France are teams Ghana can compete with.
“I believe we have enough quality in this team to win games in this group and to make it to the second round of the competition,” he said.
The Black Princesses have been preparing in Poland for the tournament, with head coach Charles Sampson naming a 21-player squad for the competition.
