One step from U-20 Women’s World Cup: Coach Sampson backs Princesses to finish job
Ghana’s Black Princesses are within touching distance of yet another FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, and they firmly believe Uganda will not derail their charge towards an eighth consecutive appearance on the global stage.
Fresh from a hard-fought 1-0 victory over South Africa in Mbombela, the Princesses have advanced to the final qualifying round, brimming with belief and purpose.
Head coach Charles Sampson, however, is keeping emotions in check. The mission, he insists, is not yet complete and he remains confident that his charges have both the pedigree and composure to clear the Uganda hurdle.
A tense 1-0 victory over the Basetsana at the Mbombela Stadium last Saturday sealed a 3-2 aggregate triumph for Ghana, following last week’s pulsating 2-2 draw in Accra. It was substitute Priscilla Mensah who delivered the decisive moment, striking in the 63rd minute to silence the home crowd and keep Ghana’s World Cup dream firmly on track.
Uganda, who booked their spot by defeating Zambia 2-1 on aggregate, now stand as the final obstacle between the Princesses and yet another World Cup campaign.
Despite the euphoria that followed the final whistle, Coach Sampson struck a composed and purposeful note, quickly shifting the spotlight forward. He spoke of his satisfaction with the result, but also signalled that the Princesses would not be complacent in their pursuit of a World Cup ticket.
“Our goal is to go to the World Cup, and South Africa posed a challenge to us, so we are extremely happy to surpass them. Now we have time to prepare and see who will be our next opponent,” he said.
Even in acknowledging the emotional release after a demanding camp and a high-pressure away fixture, the coach remained grounded.
“The mood is unbelievable, you can see a lot of emotions, even myself, because the kind of challenges we had during this camp were huge. So, to come out of that, come to South Africa and win here to qualify for the next round is what we wanted, and so we are so happy.”
Those “huge” challenges the coach spoke about mirrored his team's resilience and growing confidence in the qualifiers.
Winning on South African soil, after a four-goal stalemate in Accra and with qualification hanging in the balance, required discipline and belief, qualities Sampson has quietly instilled in his squad since taking charge of the team.
Ghana have become a permanent fixture at the global women’s youth showpiece, having featured in every edition since 2010.
Their pedigree in this competition is well established. In the previous round, they swept aside Tunisia 4-0 on aggregate, signalling their intent early in the campaign.
Now, with four African slots available for the September 5–27 tournament in Poland, Coach Sampson and the Princesses know the margin for error is razor-thin in the final round of qualifiers.
Ghana will host Uganda in the first leg on the first weekend of May before travelling to Kampala a week later for what promises to be a decisive return encounter — 180 minutes to define a generation’s dream.
Elsewhere in the final qualifying round, perennial heavyweights Nigeria face Malawi, Cameroon take on Tanzania and Côte d’Ivoire meet Benin. The aggregate winners will secure Africa’s tickets to the global tournament.
