2026 WAFU Zone B U-17 Championship: Black Starlets arrive in Burkina Faso after 20-hour road journey
Ghana’s Black Starlets have arrived in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, after completing a gruelling 20-hour road journey ahead of the 2026 WAFU Zone B U-17 Championship.
The tournament is scheduled to begin on Saturday, 10 October, with Ghana among the teams battling for qualification to the 2027 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.
The Starlets began their preparations in Accra before travelling to Bolgatanga, where they spent four days training at the Winkogo Technical Centre.
The team resumed their journey on Tuesday, travelling by road across the Ghana-Burkina Faso border before eventually reaching the Burkina Faso capital.
The lengthy trip comes just days after the young Ghanaian side returned from Morocco, where they played two friendly matches against the hosts as part of their final preparations for the regional tournament.
Ghana won the first match 2-0 before Morocco claimed a 2-1 victory in the second encounter, scoring with the final kick of the game.
The Starlets have been drawn in Group B alongside hosts Burkina Faso, Togo and Benin.
The top two teams in the group will qualify for the 2027 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations, increasing the importance of Ghana’s opening matches.
The team’s 20-hour journey, however, has raised concerns about the logistics and welfare arrangements for the young players, particularly given the security challenges affecting parts of the region.
The Starlets will now settle in Ouagadougou and complete their final preparations before beginning their campaign against some of the leading youth teams in the WAFU Zone B region.
Ghana will be hoping to navigate a challenging group and secure one of the two qualification places on offer for next year’s continental tournament.