Charles Sampson Targets Historic Knockout-Stage Qualification for Black Princesses at 2026 World Cup
Black Princesses head coach Charles Sampson has identified a place in the knockout stage as Ghana’s primary target at the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland.
Ghana are yet to progress beyond the group stage of the competition despite making seven previous appearances, leaving Sampson determined to guide the team into the knockout rounds for the first time.
The Black Princesses have been in camp at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence in Prampram since July 5 as preparations continue for the global tournament.
Sampson believes the team has made encouraging progress during their preparations and insists the players will approach the competition with a game-by-game mentality while keeping their ultimate objective in sight.
“We want to assure Ghanaians we are going to give our best and progress from the group stage and take it game after game. The main focus is to make it past the group stage for the first time.”
Ghana have been handed a challenging draw in Group B, where they will face Ecuador, Korea Republic and France.
The Black Princesses will begin their campaign against Ecuador on September 6, before taking on Korea Republic and tournament heavyweight France.
The team is also scheduled to play friendly matches in Poland ahead of the competition. Those games are expected to help the squad adjust to the local conditions while giving the technical team an opportunity to assess the players against international opposition.
The 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup will run from September 5 to 27, with Ghana hoping to finally overcome the group-stage hurdle that has followed the Black Princesses throughout their history at the tournament.
