2028 Olympic Games: Desmond Ofei names Ghana U-23 squad for Libya qualifier

Ghana U-23 head coach Desmond Ofei has announced his final 23-man squad for their upcoming CAF U-23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Libya. The team will depart for Libya on November 11, 2026, to face the Black Meteors in Benghazi for the first leg of their two-legged tie. The squad features a mixture of youth and experienced players, with eight players from abroad, including Barcelona B youngster Aziz Issah.

Other foreign-based players include David Oduro, Oscar Frimpong, Aaron Essel, Phyenyin-Denis Marfo, Lord Afrifa, Joseph Opoku, and Dan Adu-Adjei. Ofei has also included several players from domestic league teams, such as Asante Kotoko's Hubert Gyau and Emmanuel Sanja, Medeama SC's Kelvin Nkrumah, Alidu Labaran, Raymond Agyemang, Ishmael Addo, Eric Wiafe, Owusu Ansah, and Firdaus Mohammed.

The Black Meteors aim to secure a favorable result in Benghazi before hosting Libya in the return fixture, as a win in both legs would advance them to the next qualifying round. If successful, Ghana would then face either Equatorial Guinea or Niger in the final qualifying round, with the top seven teams joining Egypt for the 2027 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations tournament.

This competition serves as the qualification pathway for the men's football event at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. A successful qualifying campaign would mark Ghana's return to the Olympic men's football tournament for the first time in more than two decades, as they last participated in Athens in 2004.