Black Maidens eye World Cup success as Joe Nana Adarkwa targets WAFU B title defence

Black Maidens head coach Joe Nana Adarkwa says the WAFU B U17 Girls Cup will serve as a crucial step in preparing his side for the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, with the defending champions determined to build a stronger squad while retaining their regional crown.

Speaking ahead of Ghana's opening match, Adarkwa said the tournament was about more than lifting another trophy, insisting it offered an opportunity to assess his players against some of West Africa's strongest teams before the global competition.

"We are here to compete for the World Cup," Adarkwa said. "We are going to use this tournament to assess our players, prepare them and go into the World Cup in a way that will give us a good result."

The Black Maidens enter the competition as defending champions after winning the previous edition on home soil, but Adarkwa believes the quality of opposition means Ghana must continue strengthening its squad.

"We are here to compete with the best teams like Nigeria and all the other teams here," he said. "If you want to compete with the best, you have to strengthen your team."

The coach said defending the title had already provided extra motivation for his players.

"Everything is high because we are defending champions. The last one we played in Ghana, we won it, so the spirit is already high. We are here to defend it."

Team captain Seidatu Wahab echoed her coach's confidence, saying the Black Maidens were approaching the tournament with a winning mentality.

"We are here to defend the trophy, as my coach said, so we have a positive mindset of winning tomorrow's game," she said.

Wahab added that the team's preparations since the qualifying campaign had left the players confident of competing for the title.

"With the training we have had since our qualifiers, we are strong and ready for this tournament," she said. "I believe in my teammates. We know what we can do, and that's why we are here."

Benin's withdrawal from the competition means Ghana will now face Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Togo, Niger and Côte d'Ivoire in a round-robin format.

The Black Maidens open their title defence against Burkina Faso on Tuesday, 16 September, as they begin a campaign aimed at both retaining the WAFU B crown and laying the foundations for a successful FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.