Black Princesses head coach Charles Sampson says Ghana’s primary objective at the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup is to finally progress beyond the group stage.
The Black Princesses have concluded their preparations at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence in Prampram, where they have been in camp since July 5 ahead of the global tournament in Poland.
Sampson says preparations have been encouraging, with competition for places making the final squad selection particularly difficult.
“Training has been very good. All the girls in camp are responding to training very well and it’s been competitive. We have some of our girls with the Black Queens in Morocco who will join us later. But so far, the team is taking shape ahead of the World Cup,” he said.
The coach admitted that the level of competition within the squad has given his technical team a selection headache.
“Because of how competitive the girls have been, it’s been difficult to select my final squad. They have given me good headache and I can’t complain. This is the level we want to see all the players at.”
Injuries provide concern
While preparations have generally been positive, injuries have affected the squad, including some goalkeepers.
“For injuries, we have not been so lucky. We’ve lost some players as well as goalkeepers to injury which is quite unfortunate. But the medical team have been up to the task as they make sure the girls are always in shape and ready.”
The Black Princesses will also play friendly matches in Poland before the tournament begins, giving the players an opportunity to experience international opposition.
Sampson expressed his appreciation to the GFA for arranging the games.
“We are grateful to the GFA as they have put in place some friendly matches to be played in Poland before the tournament kickstarts. This will give most of the girls a feel of international competition.”
Group-stage progress the main target
Ghana have never progressed beyond the group stage of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, and Sampson says breaking that barrier is the immediate objective.
“We want to assure Ghanaians we are going to give our best and progress from the group stage and take it game after game. The main focus is to make it past the group stage for the first time.”
Ghana will begin their campaign against Ecuador on September 6, before facing Korea Republic and France in Group B.
The tournament will be staged in Poland from September 5 to 27, 2026, with the Black Princesses hoping to make history by reaching the knockout stage for the first time.
