Black Starlets Crash Out of WAFU Zone B U-17 Championship After Defeat to Côte d’Ivoire

Ghana’s Black Starlets have failed to qualify for the 2027 TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco after suffering a painful 1-0 defeat to Côte d’Ivoire in the WAFU Zone B U-17 Championship.

The defeat brings an end to Ghana’s hopes of securing a place at the continental tournament, with the young Ivorians advancing at the expense of their West African rivals.

Ghana’s task became more difficult in the 18th minute when Daniel Owusu was sent off, leaving the Black Starlets to play with ten men for most of the encounter.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, the Ghanaian youngsters displayed resilience and determination, holding off Côte d’Ivoire’s attacking threat for much of the match.

However, their resistance was finally broken in the 77th minute when Alex Fousseni Bamba scored the decisive goal to hand Côte d’Ivoire a narrow 1-0 victory.

The Black Starlets fought until the final whistle but could not find an equaliser, suffering a heartbreaking exit from the competition and missing out on qualification for the 2027 U-17 AFCON in Morocco.

Full-time: Ghana U-17 0-1 Côte d’Ivoire U-17