Ghana’s Black Starlets have departed the country for Morocco as they intensify preparations for the upcoming WAFU Zone B U-17 Championship.
The national U-17 side left Ghana on Thursday morning for a short training and friendly tour that will see them face Morocco’s U-17 team twice in the space of five days.
The first encounter is scheduled for Saturday, September 26, before the two sides meet again on Wednesday, September 30.
The team is expected to return to Ghana on October 1, giving head coach Kassim Ocansey Mingle and his technical team an important window to assess the squad ahead of the regional competition.
Mingle Gets Chance To Fine-tune Squad
The two matches will provide Mingle with competitive opposition as he continues to shape a squad capable of challenging for honours at the WAFU Zone B U-17 Championship.
Beyond the results, the friendlies are expected to help the technical team assess individual performances, test different combinations and identify areas that require further work before the team enters the competitive phase of its preparations.
Mingle has already overseen an extensive talent identification programme across the country as the Ghana Football Association seeks to build a new generation of Black Starlets players.
The nationwide scouting exercise began in June and is aimed at identifying promising young players ahead of the WAFU tournament.
The WAFU Zone B U-17 Championship is scheduled for November 2026 and carries significant importance for the Black Starlets, as it will serve as the qualifying competition for the 2027 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.
Morocco, meanwhile, provide particularly useful opposition given the country’s recent success at youth level.
The North Africans hosted the 2026 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations and entered the tournament as defending champions after winning the 2025 edition. They also secured their place in the 2026 continental tournament automatically as hosts.
The 2026 U-17 AFCON was staged from May 13 to June 2, with CAF introducing a new festival-style format centred around the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Rabat. The competition brought together 16 of Africa’s leading youth teams.
Ghana also featured in that tournament after qualifying through the WAFU Zone B pathway. The Black Starlets were drawn in Group D alongside Senegal, Algeria and South Africa.
With the next WAFU Zone B championship now approaching, Mingle will hope the Morocco double-header provides his players with valuable international exposure while allowing him to settle on the core of the squad for the qualification campaign.
READ ALSO: UK Commits £5m to Help Somalia Prepare for El Niño Flooding
