U-20 Women's World Cup: Charles Sampson sets historic group-stage breakthrough as Black Princesses’ target

Black Princesses head coach Charles Sampson has set his sights on leading Ghana beyond the group stage of the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup for the first time in the team’s history.

The Black Princesses have completed their preparations at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence in Prampram, where they have been in camp since July 5 ahead of the tournament in Poland.

Sampson says preparations have been positive, with the high level of competition within the squad making the final selection a difficult task.

“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 competition for places has presented his technical team with a welcome selection dilemma.

“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,” Sampson added.

However, injuries have disrupted preparations, with the team losing several players, 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,” he said.

The Black Princesses are also scheduled to play friendly matches in Poland before the tournament begins, with Sampson thanking the Ghana Football Association (GFA) for arranging the games.

He believes the friendlies will provide valuable exposure to international opposition and help the players adapt to the demands of the tournament.

“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,” Sampson said.

Ghana have never advanced beyond the group stage of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, making the upcoming tournament an opportunity to end a long-standing record.

Sampson insists breaking that barrier is the team’s immediate priority, while stressing the need to approach the competition one match at a time.

“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,” he said.

The Black Princesses will open their Group B campaign against Ecuador on September 6 before taking on Korea Republic and France.

The 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup will be held in Poland from September 5 to 27, with Ghana aiming to make history by reaching the knockout stage for the first time.