Ghana’s Black Starlets will be aiming to secure a place in the semi-finals of the 2026 West Africa Football Union (WAFU) Zone B U-17 Championship when they face Benin in their second Group A match in Burkina Faso today.
The Ghanaian side made a winning start to the competition with a narrow 1-0 victory over Togo last Saturday, putting themselves in a strong position to advance to the knockout stage.
Assistant coach of the Black Starlets, Mohammed Hamza, expressed confidence in the team’s chances, insisting that although Benin were a formidable opponent, the players were determined to secure qualification to the semi-finals.
“We know Benin is a very good side and they are young just like us. We respect them, but we are focused on securing qualification to the semi-finals, so we just have to give our all for the game on Tuesday,” he said at a press briefing yesterday.
Confidence
The victory over Togo has boosted the confidence of the Ghanaian players ahead of the crucial encounter, although Hamza acknowledged that their opening result also came with added expectations.
“Winning the first game has really boosted our confidence. So far, we are the only side with a win in the tournament, and that comes with its own demands,” he said.
Despite their victory, the Black Starlets were guilty of wasting several scoring opportunities against Togo, a concern the technical team has since worked to address ahead of the Benin clash.
Hamza expressed optimism that the players would be more clinical in front of goal after reviewing their performance and fine-tuning aspects of their attacking play.
“We created so many chances against Togo but scored only one. We have worked on that and, In Sha Allah, we’ll improve against Benin,” he stated.
The encounter presents Ghana with an opportunity to build on their impressive opening performance and strengthen their bid for a place in the last four of the competition.
The Black Starlets, two-time African champions, are also eager to return to the continental stage after failing to qualify for recent editions of the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.
Having reached the quarter-finals in 2017, Ghana will be hoping to end their prolonged absence from the continental tournament, with head coach Kasim Ocansey and his technical team determined to make the most of the opportunity presented by the WAFU Zone B championship.
