Head coach Desmond Ofei has called up thirty-one players for the Black Meteors training camp.

The squad represents a mix of players from the domestic league, particularly the Ghana Premier League and lower-tier divisions.

In the goalkeeping department, four goalkeepers were called up: Daniel Afful, Gidios Aseako, Godwin, and Yakubu Saaed.

READ MORE: Herve Renard back at Ivory Coast as head coach

The defensive unit has the likes of Medeama SC’s Paul Yeboah, Gold Stars SC’s Samuel Achampong, and Ben Ghartey.

George Paako, Seidu Saana, Etse Dogli, and Sowa Adjetey. headline the midfielders.

READ MORE : WAFCON 2026 : Black Queens beat Cape Verde in opener

This frontline has Clinton Kumi, Williams Danquah, Prince Tweneboah, and Peter Amidu Acquah.

Ofei is expected to assess and pick the best players to represent Ghana in the upcoming qualifiers.

📋 Black Meteors will assemble in Accra on Wednesday to commence preparations for the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers.

🔗 https://t.co/nbaEjSNUML#BlackMeteors | #U23AFCONQ pic.twitter.com/smBScdqPfZ

— 🇬🇭 Ghana Football Association (@ghanafaofficial) August 4, 2026

The Black Meteors bottled a fine opportunity to advance to the semi-finals of the ongoing AFCON U23 tournament as they drew 1-1 with Guinea in Morocco. 

Following the team’s heavy battering against, Morocco, it prompted a reaction from, Coach Tanko to make wholesale changes to his setup, Afriyie-Barnieh, and Emmanuel Essiem, were reposed back into the line-up, Ashie-Quaye, Nathaniel Adjei got their first start of the campaign, whiles surprisingly Ernest Nuamah was dropped to the bench against Guinea. 

AFCON U23 – Five things we learned from Black Meteors’ defeat to Morocco

I noticed a few things that didn’t work in our fair on the day preventing us from qualifying to the next stage of the competition.  

First and foremost, the team was sloppy in possession. The way the boys played on the day made you wonder if they are not taught how to properly possess the ball in training because they were loads of gaping holes to how the balls played on the day. They were uncomfortable with the balls at their feet, at every inch of play that they received a pass, they either fumbled possession or were quick to release the ball and at every turn, either the ball went to the opposing player or the ball went out of touch. It was just sad to see how the boys were not confident and comfortable with the ball at their feet contrary to how the Guinea looked more composed to engineer and progress the ball from the back either through the middle or the flanks and our technical handlers had no cues to stop them from enjoying a large chunk of possession. They bossed 56.1% against our 43.9% on the day. Our accurate passes on the day were miles apart, we managed 292 passes to their 389 on the day, which clearly showed that there was a system to possess the ball and to work to perfection in their favor. 

Also, Creativity was lacking in our game. in the entire course of the game, we struggled to create any decent chances from a well-worked move on the day. The team profited from a miscued kick from the goalkeeper, Keita in the 33rd minute of the game which they scored from but in the entire game, they managed only three shots on target from their eight goals attempt. The midfield pairing of Essiem and Hafiz Ibrahim was out of sorts and barely created any decent opportunity for the forward makeup which comprised Fatawu Issahaku, Afriyie Barnieh, and Emmanuel Yeboah to feed off. The Guinea’s created and created a plethora of chances but for their inexperience and poor finishing they only managed to score just one from their fifteen goal attempts. 

AFCON U23 – Black Meteors miss out on semi’s after drawing Guinea

I listened to coach Tanko’s presser after the game and he highlighted concentration as key to us being ousted from the tournament. In our first game against, Congo we conceded two soft goals in regulation time, the second game against Morocco, we conceded two goals in a quarter of the game so I was hoping that the technical team had noticed this recurring feature within the setup and found an antidote to it, like they say, lightening doesn’t strike twice but this time it did, thrice against Guinea. They gave themselves the lifeline from captain, Fofana’s sweet strike which fizzled past Danlad in post for Ghana for the equalizer.

Our match-day tactics deployed a backline of three center-backs, Afrane, Adjei, and Yegbe, they did well to shut the profligate, Guinea side from scoring in the first half of the game but it was least surprising when they conceded on the quarter-hour mark in the second half. That was their eighth goal conceded in three games. For a side that had been tipped as one of the pre-tournament favorites to win the competition, your attack was important as your defense but it looked as though the handlers didn’t deem that area of our game as prime importance. We conceded very basic goals we could have avoided, in our 1-1 draw the defender had the singular chance to head the ball out of safety but no, he headed the ball right into the motion of play which fell kindly to the Guinea captain, Fofana who stroke the ball with venom beyond the reach of the nomadic, Danlad Ibrahim in post for the Black Meteors, 1-1. I wondered why, the technical team did a poor job in the three games by tinkering with the defensive line and shape. 

Watch: Ghana Black Meteors training session before Guinea clash 

Another glowing feature about this setup was the lack of squad depth and quality. The technical handlers of this team had a duty to Ghanaians but failed. They were expected to scout the entire breadth of the country for the finest group of talents to represent national interest but that was not high on the agenda. Most of the bunch recruited were ill-prepared for the occasion, short of confidence, and couldn’t exhibit the needed technical skills and abilities expected from them and it was just saddening. The men at the helm of affairs have failed us when we needed them the most.  

It will be a long road from the mud of failure, hopefully, in the next few years, we rinse ourselves with a clear road map on how to properly develop and inculcate modern trends into our game to better equip us for the task ahead or else we will continually struggle at major tournament similarly to how we have performed on other national fonts.

The Black Meteors settled for a draw with Guinea in the ongoing AFCON tournament in Morocco.

The heavy loss at the hands of the host nation prompted a reaction from, Coach Tanko to make wholesale changes to his setup, Afriyie-Barnieh, and Emmanuel Essiem, was reposed back into the line-up, Ashie-Quaye, Nathaniel Adjei got their first start of the campaign, whiles surprisingly Ernest Nuamah was dropped to the bench against Guinea.
The team started well with in possession but clawed back into their fold as the Guinea side finally settled into the game creating loads of chances but for some poor finishing their failed to hit the back of the net.



Ghana’s first real sniff at goal came on the 32nd mark as Emmanuel Yeboah got on the end of a deep cross from Samuel Ashie Quaye but his header was way off the target and caused a little scare for the Guinea goalkeeper.
A minute later, Emmanuel Essiem intercepted a miscued ball from goalkeeper, Mory Keita in midfield, and passed to Fatawu Issahaku, who did very well to play a one-two with Emmanuel Yeboah, who slotted in the Meteor’s first goal of the night in the 33rd minute.

Attram de Visser product, Hafiz Ibrahim called the goalkeeper, Keita into action in the 42nd minute but his quick reflexes helped him to parry the ball to safety for his defense to clear away and prevent Afriyie Barnieh from slotting home the second of the game.

Ghana’s goal-getter, Yeboah was subbed on for Ernest Nuamah was dropped to the bench after initial fears of a thigh injury.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDPZLEPVWXk

Guinea’s sustained pressure on the Meteors paid off as Ibrahima Breze’s volley fizzled past the jumpy, Danlad Ibrahim in post for the West African side to hand them the much-needed equalizer, 1-1.
Ghana failed to advance past the group stages after settling for a draw with the Guinea side.

The Ghana Black Meteors held their final training session on Thursday evening as they prepare to face Guinea in their crucial last group game in the ongoing U23 Africa Cup of Nations.



Ghana will need a win against Guinea to make it to the next stages of the competition.

Watch the Training session below: