After a painful period in the international wilderness, Ghana’s U-17 female national football team, the Black Maidens, have officially arrived in Dakar.
This is no ordinary qualifying fixture; it is the final barrier in a highly driven campaign to reclaim their position on the global stage following a brutal two-edition ban by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
With a point to prove and the weight of a proud footballing legacy on their shoulders, Coach Joe Nana Adarkwa’s squad landed in the Senegalese capital on Tuesday evening, completely locked in and ready to secure a vital away advantage.
If their previous qualifying performances are anything to go by, the Maidens are playing with the absolute hunger of a team that has been denied for too long. They punched their ticket to this final phase by utterly dismantling Liberia in an 8-0 aggregate masterclass.
Now, only Senegal stands between Ghana and a triumphant return to the world stage.
The battle for the coveted World Cup slot will be decided over two high-stakes legs:
Having scored 16 goals and conceded absolutely zero throughout this qualification campaign, the Black Maidens are no longer just playing for a tournament ticket—they are playing to restore the pride of Ghanaian women’s football.
For a visual look at the team’s energy and send-off from the nation’s capital before embarking on this crucial mission, check out the Black Maidens Depart Accra for Dakar broadcast, which captures the squad leaving for this monumental qualifier.