Ghana coach Prosper Narteh Ogum believes his Black Starlets are better prepared for the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026 thanks to the hard lessons learned during their WAFU B qualification campaign.
Ghana impressed on their way to the regional title decider, only losing the final to Cte dIvoire on penalties.
There were many positives from the WAFU B campaign. The team showed character, discipline and consistency throughout the competition. We scored goals, defended well and demonstrated a strong mentality in difficult moments. Even though we lost the final on penalties, it gave us valuable lessons about concentration, composure and game management. Those experiences have helped us improve ahead of this tournament, Ogum told CAFOnline.com.
Those performances, combined with Ghanas proud record at U-17 level with continental crowns in 1995 and 1999 have raised expectations as the Black Starlets return to the African stage. Drawn into a demanding Group D alongside defending champions Senegal, hosts Algeria and South Africa, Ghana know there will be no easy games, but Ogum feels his sides maturity and resilience have grown since WAFU B.
