The 29-man squad
Ghana’s Black Starlets have invited 29 players to begin preparations for the 2026 WAFU Zone B U-17 Championship, with Coach Kasim Ocansey Mingle leading an extensive scouting exercise across the country.
The selected players emerged from screening and talent-identification exercises focused on the 2010-born age group, as Mingle and his technical team searched for the country’s best emerging talents.
The tournament, scheduled for October in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, will also serve as the qualifying competition for the 2027 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations.
Only the two finalists at the WAFU Zone B Championship will secure qualification to the 2027 U-17 AFCON, putting Ghana under pressure to reach the final.
With preparations now underway, competition for places in the final squad is expected to be fierce, as the 29 players look to impress the technical team through training sessions and assessment matches.
For Coach Mingle and the Black Starlets, the October championship represents a crucial first test as Ghana begins its quest to return to the continental U-17 stage
BY Wletsu Ransford