What are the Starlets chances of qualifying for U-17 AFCON? Gabby Ofei has all the explanations

The aftermath of the Black Starlets’ loss to Burkina Faso has been tumultuous for the team, departing Coach Laryea Kingston, and the Ghana Football Association (GFA).

The chaos stems not just from the team’s failure to overcome a familiar opponent in the semi-finals of the WAFU Zone B Under-17 Championship held in Accra, Ghana, but more significantly from Kingston’s decision to resign.

At the press conference following the defeat, Kingston delivered a shocking statement in front of Ghanaian journalists in the lead-up to his resignation.

His remarks encapsulated his overall dissatisfaction with the management of football in the country, particularly under the leadership of the current GFA administration headed by Kurt Okraku.

A bit of context to it –

“I know Ghanaians know me as a player and are familiar with the sacrifices I made for the country during my playing days.”

“I gave my all as a player, but in the end, I wasn’t happy,” he said.

That is a man who’s harboured a lot of pain, with his marriage affair with the Black Starlets now truncated after walking away from the job.

On the footballing side of things-

It marked the second instance where Burkina Faso has defeated Ghana in the semi-final stage of the WAFU tournament, having previously done so in the last edition held at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium under former Boss Paa Kwesi Fabin.

As a result, the team failed to qualify for the U-17 AFCON in Algeria, where Senegal emerged as champions, Morocco as runners-up, Burkina Faso secured third place, and Mali finished fourth.

It’s noteworthy that Ghana’s under-17 team is among the most successful countries in this youth football tournament, organized by the Confederation of African Football for nations with players under 17 years of age.

A bit of history to the tournament –

In 1985, FIFA launched a World Cup tournament for players under 17, and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) organized a home-and-away knockout qualification competition to select participants.

A decade later, in 1995, CAF elevated this competition to a full-fledged standalone event named the African U-17 Championship, hosted by a different country each time.

On August 6, 2015, the CAF Executive Committee decided to rename the tournament to the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations.

However, the official logo displayed the name as the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations, aligning it with the senior Africa Cup of Nations.

On July 21, 2016, French energy giant Total Energies (formerly Total S.A.) secured an eight-year sponsorship deal with CAF to support its competition.

Starting with the 2023 edition, the tournament expanded to include 12 teams.

This change was initially planned for the 2021 edition but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact in Africa, leading to its cancellation.

Ghana has claimed the title twice: first in 1995 when they defeated Nigeria 3-1 after extra time in the final hosted by Mali, and again in 1999, when they beat Burkina Faso 3-1 in the final held in Guinea.

In 2005, the Black Starlets were runners-up, losing 1-0 to host nation Gambia in the final.

Two years later, in 2007, Ghana secured third place by defeating Tunisia 1-0 in the third-place playoff.

A decade later, in 2017, the Starlets reached the final of the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations but lost to Mali in Gabon.

In 2019, the tournament was held in Tanzania, but Ghana failed to qualify from the WAFU Championships.

In the most recent tournament, hosted in Algeria, Ghana also failed to qualify, thanks to Burkina Faso’s strong performance in the WAFU Championship.

Will the Black Starlets be able to make it to next year’s AFCON? Big Question?

The Black Starlets were defeated by Burkina Faso once again in the semifinals of the ongoing WAFU tournament, held at the Legon Stadium and the Accra Sports Stadium.

Consequently, this loss means the team has missed out on a spot at the AFCON, if we are to go by the old format of qualifying to the u-17 AFCON.

However, there remains a glimmer of hope for the team.

The organizers of this year’s WAFU B U17 AFCON are waiting for confirmation from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) regarding the number of teams that will qualify for the 2025 U17 AFCON.

Traditionally, only the two finalists would advance to the 12-team tournament, with the top four teams securing places in the FIFA U-17 World Cup.

With the expansion of the 2025 U17 FIFA World Cup from 24 to 48 teams, Africa will now have 9 or 10 slots available, a notable increase from the previous four.

CAF is now tasked with deciding whether to expand their U-17 AFCON or create an alternative method for selecting the 10 representatives.

Should the tournament be expanded, WAFU ZONE B might be allocated 3 or 4 spots, potentially allowing the Starlets to qualify if they can defeat Nigeria in the third-place play-off on Tuesday, March 28, 2024.