Ghana’s U20 women’s national team, the Black Princesses, have progressed to the final round of the 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup qualifiers after defeating South Africa.
The Princesses secured a narrow 1-0 victory in the second leg of their tie on Saturday, February 14, completing a 3-2 aggregate triumph.
The first leg at the Accra Sports Stadium had ended in a 2-2 draw, with South Africa twice coming from behind to level the score. That result left Ghana needing a win in the return fixture to maintain their impressive record of qualifying for every U20 Women’s World Cup tournament since 2010.
Head coach Charles Sampson made four changes to the side that featured in the first leg, handing starting roles to Juliana Gyekyewaa, Precious Asante, Latifa Abesik, and Mary Amponsah.
Ghana started brightly and created several scoring opportunities but were repeatedly frustrated by a disciplined South African defence. Goalkeeper Jenna Sarpong was also called into action on a few occasions and produced important saves to keep her side in the contest.
The first half ended goalless, with both teams evenly matched.
After the break, the Princesses were forced into a substitution when Mary Amponsah was replaced by Priscilla Mensah due to injury. The change proved decisive, as Priscilla netted the only goal of the game 18 minutes after coming on, handing Ghana a crucial advantage.
South Africa mounted late pressure in search of an equaliser, but the Black Princesses held firm to secure the win and book their place in the final qualifying round.
Ghana will now face either Zambia or Uganda in April, as they aim to secure qualification for yet another U20 Women’s World Cup.
