Black Starlets arrive in Morocco ahead of U17 AFCON
Ghana’s U17 national team, the Black Starlets, have arrived in Morocco ahead of the 2025 U17 Africa Cup of Nations as they prepare for a long-awaited return to continental football’s biggest youth stage.
The team travelled with a 21-man squad and 14 officials and will continue final preparations before the tournament kicks off later this month.
The competition marks Ghana’s first appearance at the U17 AFCON in almost a decade, following their runner-up finish in Gabon in 2017. The Black Starlets are now aiming to restore their reputation as one of Africa’s most successful youth football nations and secure qualification for the FIFA U17 World Cup.
Ghana Football Association President Kurt Okraku, who accompanied the team to the Accra International Airport before departure on Wednesday, urged the players to remain resilient and united throughout the tournament.
“I’m very happy that when you lost to Ivory Coast in your first game during your friendly matches, you were able to come back, not only to dominate but to outscore them in the second game,” he said.
“I read a lot of meaning into that, and I want all of you to keep that in your heads, that it’s not over until it’s all over.
“When the chips are down, that’s when we need to hold each other together. So go out there and make Ghana proud.”
Head coach Prosper Narteh Ogum is expected to lead the team through the final phase of training in Morocco before Ghana begins its campaign in a difficult Group D.
The two-time African champions will face Algeria, Senegal and South Africa in what is widely considered one of the toughest groups in the tournament.
With renewed optimism surrounding the team, many Ghanaian football fans will hope the Black Starlets can recapture the form that once made them a dominant force in youth football on the continent and beyond.
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