Black Starlets Set for Decisive WAFU Zone B U-17 Final Against Ivory Coast
The Black Starlets of Ghana are bracing themselves for a crucial showdown with Ivory Coast in the final of the 2025 WAFU Zone B U-17 Boys Championship.
The much-anticipated clash is scheduled for today, Friday, October 3, at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium in Yamoussoukro.
Ghana earned their place in the grand finale after a commanding 2-0 victory over fierce rivals Nigeria in the semi-finals.
Their opponents, Ivory Coast, edged Burkina Faso 2-1 in the other semi-final. The young Elephants will draw confidence from their group-stage triumph over Ghana, where they claimed a resounding 3-0 victory. However, the Starlets have since regrouped impressively, bouncing back to defeat Niger 3-1 before overcoming Nigeria in style.
Speaking ahead of the final, Ghana’s head coach Prosper Narteh Ogum promised a transformed display from his side compared to their earlier meeting with the Ivorians.
“It will be a different Ghana; our structure will be different, our mentality and our character will also be different. They defeated us in the group stage,” Ogum assured after the semi-final win.
“Fortunately, we have been able to play them so we know what to do, go back and prepare ourselves in terms of our mentality and character and how we need to stay focused on the field. Tactically, we also have to re-strategise to make sure that we meet them boot for boot.”
Both Ghana and Ivory Coast have already booked their tickets to next year’s U-17 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco by virtue of reaching the final.
Still, Friday’s contest is set to determine regional supremacy and crown the champions of WAFU Zone B. The game is at 7pm.
