Ghana’s Black Maidens have begun their 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup campaign with a 3-0 defeat to Norway, despite creating opportunities to score in their Group C encounter in Morocco.
Norway sealed the victory with three outstanding strikes to record their first-ever win at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, while Ghana were left to reflect on missed chances that could have changed the outcome.
One of Ghana’s notable opportunities came when Cynthia O. found herself in a one-on-one situation with the Norwegian goalkeeper, but her effort was blocked. The missed chance proved costly as Ghana failed to find a way past their opponents.
The result is a setback for head coach Joe Nana Adarkwa, whose team returned to the global competition after missing the previous edition. Ghana qualified for the tournament following an impressive African qualifying campaign, including back-to-back 8-0 victories over Togo and Liberia before overcoming Senegal on penalties.
The Black Maidens entered the tournament hoping to build on Ghana’s record in the competition. The country won bronze at the 2012 edition and has reached the quarter-finals on three occasions.
Ghana now face a difficult task in Group C, which also includes Brazil and Canada. The team will need to recover quickly from the opening defeat and improve its finishing ahead of the remaining fixtures.
The Black Maidens are scheduled to face Brazil on October 22 before taking on Canada on October 24. Those matches will be crucial to Ghana’s hopes of progressing to the knockout stage.
