Ghana’s U-17 national team, the Black Starlets, will not feature at this year’s FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar after suffering a heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat to Uganda in their playoff clash on Saturday night.
Ghana had already been eliminated from the CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations after finishing third in Group D.
However, the team had the chance through the playoffs to qualify for the World Cup but suffered another defeat at the Mohamed VI Football Complex in Morocco.
The decisive encounter ended 2-2 after regulation time, but Uganda held their nerves to secure Africa’s tenth and final qualification slot with an 8-7 victory on penalties.
Ghana Started Brightly
It was Dr. Prosper Nartey Ogum’s boys who started the game brightly and took a deserved lead as early as the ninth minute when midfielder Eric Gyamfi found the back of the net to hand Ghana the advantage.
Uganda, however, responded strongly and grabbed the equaliser 25 minutes later through Mukisa Owen after growing into the game.
Neither side could find another breakthrough before Tunisian referee Fredj Abdellaoui brought the first half to a close with the game delicately poised at 1-1.
Just six minutes after the restart, Abdul Latif Wunzalgu restored the Black Starlets’ lead to put Ghana back in the driving seat and on course for a first FIFA U-17 World Cup appearance since 2017.
The Black Starlets defended resolutely after reclaiming the lead and managed to thwart every attacking effort thrown at them by the Ugandans for most of the second half.
With qualification within touching distance, Ghana looked set to hold on for victory until disaster struck in stoppage time. Uganda drew parity for the second time in the contest in the first minute of stoppage time after Ibanda Arafat confidently converted a 91st-minute penalty to level the scores at 2-2.
Penalties Decide Ghana’s Fate
With no extra time in the playoff format, the game went straight into the lottery of penalties to determine who would secure the final World Cup ticket.
Ghana coach Dr. Prosper Nartey Ogum made a bold late decision before the shootout, replacing starting goalkeeper John Annan with Michael Armah in the 10th minute of additional time specifically for the penalties.
Both nations converted their opening seven spot kicks in a tense and dramatic shootout that kept supporters on edge.
However, Ghana centre back Jacob Kpoeti saw his feeble strike comfortably saved by Uganda goalkeeper Ashraf Lukyamuzi to hand the East Africans the advantage. Fifteen-year-old Trevor Mubiru then stepped up and calmly converted the winning penalty to send Uganda to a second consecutive FIFA U-17 World Cup appearance after also featuring at the 2025 edition in Qatar.
Uganda’s qualification was made even more remarkable by the presence of Ghanaian coach Laryea Kingston in their dugout. Kingston, who previously handled Ghana’s U-17 side, masterminded Uganda’s qualification at the expense of his home nation.
Speaking after the painful defeat, Prosper Narteh Ogum expressed disappointment over the outcome and admitted the manner of the loss was difficult to take.
“We are very disappointed because the boys gave everything throughout the game and came very close to qualification. Conceding that late penalty and then losing in the shootout is painful for all of us, but we have to stay strong and learn from this experience.”
Dr. Prosper Nartey Ogum, Black Starlets head coach
The result means Ghana’s wait for a return to the FIFA U-17 World Cup will continue, extending their absence from the global tournament to more than nine years since their last appearance in 2017.
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