President of the Ghana Football Association, Kurt Okraku is urging Ghana’s under-20 team, the Black Satellites, to pursue their 5th AFCON title in next year’s tournament.
The team’s most recent under-20 AFCON victory came in 2021 in Mauritania, marking their 4th title under former head coach Abdul Karim Zito.
Ghana’s Under-20 men’s team, the Black Satellites, have secured their place in next year’s U-20 Africa Cup of Nations despite falling to Nigeria in the WAFU B final on Wednesday night.
The Black Satellites had already booked their spot at Africa’s premier youth competition before the final but put up a determined second-half performance, ultimately losing 2-1 to Nigeria at the Stade de Kegue in Lome, Togo.
👏🏾 A proud moment! Ghana’s male U20 team, the #BlackSatellites, has qualified for the 2025 U20 Africa Cup of Nations! 🇬🇭 pic.twitter.com/zg1nbLK4TG
— 🇬🇭 Ghana Football Association (@ghanafaofficial) October 31, 2024
Addressing the team, after its latest victory, Kurt Okraku charged the team to go on and clinch a fifth AFCON title under the guidance of Coach Desmond Ofei
Jerry Afriyie’s goal in the 75th minute wasn’t enough to overturn a first-half brace by Kparabo Arieri, which gave the Flying Eagles the victory over a resilient Ghanaian team. The Black Satellites are now set to make their AFCON return next year, following their title win in 2021.
Coach Desmond Ofei and his support team successfully guided the team to qualification for the continental tournament.
The WAFU B U20 Championship serves as a qualifier for the 2025 Africa U20 Cup of Nations, with only Nigeria and Ghana securing spots.
Additionally, the 2025 U20 AFCON will double as the African qualifier for the 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile, with the top four teams earning automatic qualification.
Ghana’s under-20 team claimed its first championship title in 1993 in Mauritius.
This was followed by another victory when Ghana hosted the tournament in 1999, then a win in Rwanda in 2009, and, most recently, the team secured the title again in 2021 in Mauritania.
