Ghana’s U17 national team, the Black Starlets, will resume full residential camping in the first week of January as preparations intensify for the 2026 U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The upcoming camp will mark the start of the final phase of preparations, with head coach Dr. Prosper Narteh Ogum and his technical team expected to work closely with the expanded squad before trimming the number down to the final 23 players after a few weeks of intensive training and assessment.

Once the final AFCON squad is selected, the remaining players will not be released entirely from the national setup. Instead, they will be maintained in the Black Starlets database as part of a long-term planning strategy ahead of the 2026 WAFU B U17 Championship, which is scheduled to take place shortly after the AFCON tournament.

The approach is aimed at ensuring continuity and depth, especially as some players who qualify for the AFCON may become ineligible for the WAFU Championship due to age restrictions.

According to Dr. Prosper Narteh Ogum, head coach of the Black Starkets, retaining the wider pool of players will significantly reduce the pressure on the coaching staff when assembling a new team for the WAFU tournament later in 2026.

GFA COMMUNICATIONS