Black Princesses Face Major Setbacks Ahead Of U-20 World Cup

Ghana's Black Princesses, the country's U-20 women's football team, face significant challenges as they prepare for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland. The tournament commences in just five days, and despite being the hosts, the Black Princesses have yet to advance past the group stage in any of their previous seven attempts at the competition. Head coach Charles Sampson has declared his final roster, yet several key players are sidelined due to injuries and club-related matters.

At the forefront of these setbacks is captain Linda Owusu Ansah, who secured Ghana's qualification for the World Cup with a decisive goal against Uganda. However, she suffered an ACL injury in August during the play-off match against Côte d'Ivoire in Casablanca. Comfort Yeboah, who has previously played for Ghana in the 2026 WAFCON, will also be absent due to a disagreement with her Spanish club, Logroño United.

Jessica Appiah Asamoah, who participated in all qualifiers and was expected to feature in the World Cup, is sidelined with a knee injury. Mercy Attobrah, the striker who scored in both of Ghana's qualifier matches against Tunisia, is also absent after recovering from an ACL injury sustained while playing for her Egyptian club. Mary Amponsah, who replaced Attobrah during the qualifiers, is also unavailable after undergoing ACL surgery.

The Black Princesses kick off their campaign against Ecuador on September 5, facing South Korea and France in the group stage as they strive to overcome their persistent group-stage challenge.