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FIFA U20 Women's World Cup

From Division One to Poland 2026: Belinda Maku Aklie’s remarkable rise with Ghana’s National Teams

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Cabfix Ladies FC goalkeeper Belinda Maku Aklie continues to announce herself as one of Ghana’s brightest young goalkeeping talents following her role in helping the Black Princesses qualify for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland.

The young shot-stopper featured in both qualifying matches against Uganda as Ghana sealed a 3-2 aggregate victory to book an eighth consecutive appearance at the global tournament, scheduled to take place in Poland from September 5 to 27, 2026.

For Belinda, the qualification marks a significant milestone — her first qualification with a national team — and another major step in what has been a remarkable rise through the ranks of women’s football in Ghana.

Before her breakthrough with the Black Princesses, Belinda had already built a strong reputation at youth level. During the 2025 Elite U-15 Girls Championship, she represented the Greater Accra Regional Team and delivered a flawless campaign between the posts.

Across six matches, the talented goalkeeper recorded six clean sheets. Her outstanding performances earned her the Goalkeeper of the Tournament award, further confirming her immense potential.

At club level, Belinda has also been exceptional for Division One side Cabfix Ladies FC. She kept four clean sheets in 12 league appearances during the just-ended Women’s Division One League season despite missing matches due to national team assignments.

Her performances in the Women’s FA Cup particularly drew attention. She notably kept a clean sheet against Oaks FC — the women’s side of Accra Hearts of Oak SC and a Women’s Premier League club — helping Cabfix Ladies secure a famous 1-0 victory in the Round of 64.

Belinda also impressed against top-flight side Jonina Ladies in the FA Cup Round of 32, producing a series of remarkable saves that earned praise for her reflexes, composure, and positioning under pressure.

On the international stage, the young goalkeeper announced her arrival in style with the Black Maidens. She kept a clean sheet on her debut as Ghana defeated Togo 2-0 in the first leg of their FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifier.

She followed it up with another composed display in the return leg, recording her second consecutive clean sheet as Ghana completed an emphatic 8-0 aggregate victory.

With confidence growing and her stock continuing to rise, Belinda now turns her attention to the next challenge ahead.

The Black Maidens are set to face Liberia in the second round of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers, with the first leg scheduled between May 22 and 24, before the return encounter on May 30.

For Belinda Maku Aklie, the journey is only just beginning.

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FIFA U20 Women's World Cup

Black Princesses exit FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after France defeat

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Ghana’s Black Princesses have ended their FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Poland 2026 campaign after suffering a 4-0 defeat to France in their final Group C match.

The result ended Ghana’s hopes of making history by reaching the knockout stage of the competition for the first time. The Black Princesses, appearing at the tournament for the eighth consecutive time, were aiming to progress beyond the group phase for the first time in their history.

France dominated the second half after a goalless opening period, scoring four goals to secure victory and finish top of Group C.

Ghana finished bottom of the group with three points from three matches. They began the tournament with a 3-0 defeat to Ecuador before bouncing back with a 3-1 win over Korea Republic. However, the heavy loss to France brought their campaign to an end.

France and Korea Republic secured automatic qualification to the knockout stage after finishing first and second respectively in Group C. Ecuador, who finished third after defeating Ghana but losing to both France and Korea Republic, will now wait to see if they qualify as one of the four best third-placed teams.

With some groups yet to complete their final matches, Ecuador’s fate remains undecided as the competition determines the teams that will advance to the knockout stage.

For the Black Princesses, the search continues for a historic first appearance in the knockout rounds of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

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FIFA U20 Women's World Cup

Black Princesses bounce back with 3-1 win over Korea Republic

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Ghana’s Black Princesses bounced back from their opening-day defeat to Ecuador with an impressive 3-1 victory over Korea Republic in their second Group C game at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

After a goalless first half, Ghana finally broke the deadlock in the 52nd minute when Sarah Nyarko found the back of the net with a long-range effort to give the Black Princesses the lead.

Ghana doubled their advantage just three minutes later, with Ivy Osei Owusu producing a brilliant chip over the Korean goalkeeper to make it 2-0.

The Black Princesses continued to control the game and extended their lead in the 84th minute through Ruth Amponsah, who made it 3-0 with six minutes of normal time remaining.

Korea Republic pulled one back in the fifth minute of added time, but Ghana held on to secure a valuable 3-1 victory and claim their first three points of the tournament.

The win gives the Black Princesses a much-needed boost ahead of their final Group C fixture against France on Saturday, September 12.

Ghana must now produce another strong performance against the French side as they fight for a place in the knockout stage.

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FIFA U20 Women's World Cup

Black Princesses suffer 3-0 defeat to Ecuador in World Cup opener

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Ghana’s Black Princesses began their 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup campaign on a disappointing note after suffering a 3-0 defeat to Ecuador in their opening Group C game in Poland.

Ecuador made a fast start at the Arena Sosnowiec, scoring twice in the first half to take a 2-0 lead into the break.

Ghana were dealt an early setback in goal when Najat Abdul Salam was replaced by Precious Akanguwie in the 19th minute.

The Black Princesses tried to respond after the break but struggled to find a way through the Ecuadorian defence. Ecuador added a third goal in the second half to complete a 3-0 victory.

The defeat leaves Ghana needing a strong response in their remaining two group matches as they continue their quest to progress beyond the group stage for the first time.

The Black Princesses entered the tournament after a series of international friendlies as part of their preparations.

They opened their friendly campaign in Poland with an impressive 4-0 victory over Polish side Ślęza Wrocław before suffering a narrow 2-1 defeat to Mexico in their final pre-World Cup friendly.

The Black Princesses will now turn their attention to their second Group C fixture against Korea Republic on Wednesday, September 9, 2026.

Ghana will face Korea Republic at the Arena Sosnowiec at 4:00pm GMT, before completing their group campaign against France on Saturday, September 12, at the same venue and time.

With two games remaining, the Black Princesses will need to pick up points against Korea Republic and France to keep their hopes of reaching the knockout stage alive.

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FIFA U20 Women's World Cup

Black Princesses begin Poland 2026 World Cup preparations with 4-0 victory over Ślęza Wrocław

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Ghana’s Black Princesses have taken a confident step in their preparations for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after recording an impressive 4-0 victory over Polish side Ślęza Wrocław in their first international friendly.

The Ghanaian youngsters delivered a dominant display, with four different players getting on the scoresheet as they continued their build-up ahead of the global tournament scheduled for September 5 to 27, 2026, in Poland.

Jacqueline Ntoso opened the scoring in the 35th minute with a brilliant finish to give the Black Princesses a 1-0 lead heading into the break.

Ghana returned stronger after recess and doubled their advantage in the 67th minute when Priscilla Mensah converted a fine pass from Ruth Amponsah to make it 2-0.

Ruth Amponsah then got on the scoresheet three minutes later, adding the third goal in the 70th minute before Diana Amoako completed the scoring in the 87th minute with a powerful long-range strike to seal a convincing victory.

The friendly forms part of Ghana’s final preparations as the Black Princesses aim to make a strong impression at their eighth consecutive FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup appearance.

Ghana have been drawn in Group C alongside France, Korea Republic and Ecuador. They will begin their campaign against Ecuador on Sunday, September 6, at the Arena Sosnowiec, before facing Korea Republic on September 9 and France on September 12. All three group matches will kick off at 16:00 GMT.

The Black Princesses will be hoping their preparations in Poland continue on a positive note as they chase a historic first qualification from the group stage at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

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