WAFU Zone B: Black Starlets target Benin scalp to boost qualification hopes

Ghana’s U-17 side, the Black Starlets, will seek to maintain their winning start to the 2026 WAFU Zone B U-17 Championship when they face Benin in Burkina Faso tomorrow.

The Black Starlets opened their campaign with a 1-0 victory over Togo last Saturday, a result that has boosted their confidence ahead of what promises to be a difficult encounter against their Beninois counterparts.

Coach Kwasim Ocansey is confident his side has the quality and determination to overcome the challenge posed by Benin and strengthen their chances of advancing to the next stage of the competition.

David Kwarteng, who scored Ghana’s winning goal against Togo, is expected to play a key role alongside playmaker Abdul Latif Wunzalgu, Alidu Issa, Yaw Acheampong and captain Abdul Rafiu Issah as the young Ghanaians seek another crucial victory.

The Black Starlets, two-time African champions, are eager to return to the continental stage after struggling 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 long absence from the tournament, with Ocansey determined to seize the opportunity to guide the side back to the continental showpiece.

The stakes are high, as the winners of the WAFU Zone B competition earn qualification for the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations next year.

A victory over Benin would therefore represent another significant step towards Ghana’s qualification ambitions and further strengthen the team’s belief as the tournament progresses.