Ghana’s Black Maidens ended their WAFU-B U17 Girls Cup campaign on a high note after recording a commanding 4-0 victory over hosts Côte d’Ivoire in their final match of the tournament.

The win capped an impressive campaign for Ghana, who finished second on the final standings with 12 points after winning four of their five matches. The Black Maidens’ only defeat came against eventual champions Nigeria, who secured a 4-2 victory in their second game and went on to finish top with a perfect 15 points after winning all five matches.

Ghana began the competition with a dominant 4-0 win over Burkina Faso before suffering their only setback against Nigeria. The Black Maidens responded strongly with victories over Togo, Niger and Côte d’Ivoire to complete their campaign with four wins.

Against Côte d’Ivoire, goalkeeper Belinda Maku Aklie started in post as Ghana delivered a dominant display.

Captain Seidatu Wahab opened the scoring in the 14th minute after reacting quickest to convert the rebound following her penalty kick being saved by the Côte d’Ivoire goalkeeper. The goal took Wahab’s tournament tally to five goals.

Gloria Adomako Ameaa doubled Ghana’s advantage in the 31st minute before adding another in the 80th minute after an assist from Philipa Asana Mannebe, taking her own tally to five goals in the competition.

Cynthia Obinserwuo completed the scoring in the 88th minute to seal a convincing victory for the Black Maidens.

As part of an innovation introduced for the final matchday, all matches were followed by penalty shootouts regardless of the final results, with the exercise aimed at helping players gain more confidence and experience in penalty situations. Côte d’Ivoire won the shootout against Ghana 5-3.

The WAFU-B U17 Girls Cup provided valuable preparation for Ghana ahead of the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco, giving the technical team the opportunity to assess the squad, test players against strong regional opposition and build momentum ahead of the global tournament.

With captain Seidatu Wahab and Gloria Adomako Ameaa finishing among the competition’s leading scorers with five goals each, the Black Maidens will now turn their attention to the next phase of their preparations for the World Cup.

Nigeria have been crowned champions of the WAFU-B U17 Girls Cup after completing an unbeaten campaign with a convincing 4-0 victory over Togo on the final matchday.

The result took Nigeria’s tally to 15 points, confirming their position at the top of the standings and securing the title after winning all five matches played in the competition.

The Flamingos started their campaign with a 5-0 victory over Niger before recording wins against Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, results that placed them in a strong position heading into their final fixture.

Nigeria maintained their dominance against Togo, with Harmony Chidi scoring twice from the penalty spot in the 14th and 34th minutes before Oluebube Umejaku and Oluwakemi Adegbuyi added further goals in the second half to complete the 4-0 victory.

The win also saw Oluwakemi Adegbuyi move to four goals in the competition, joining Ghana captain Seidatu Wahab at the top of the tournament’s scoring chart. Wahab had earlier reached four goals after scoring in Ghana’s 6-1 victory over Niger.

Nigeria’s triumph means they have secured the WAFU-B U17 Girls Cup title before Ghana’s final fixture against hosts Côte d’Ivoire.

Ghana’s Black Maidens suffered their first defeat in the WAFU-B U-17 Girls Cup after losing 4-2 to Nigeria in their second match of the competition at the Lycée Scientifique.

The defending champions had started their title defence on a strong note with a convincing 4-0 victory over Burkina Faso, but they were unable to maintain their winning run against a determined Nigerian side.

Nigeria opened the scoring in the 33rd minute before doubling their advantage in first-half stoppage time to take a 2-0 lead into the break.

Ghana responded after the interval, with captain Seidatu Wahab reducing the deficit in the 62nd minute through a direct free kick following a foul that resulted in Nigeria receiving a red card.

Nigeria, however, continued to find opportunities despite being a player down and restored their two-goal lead in the 70th minute.

The Super Falconets added what appeared to be another goal shortly after their third, but the effort was ruled out for offside. They eventually scored their confirmed fourth goal in the 87th minute through a free kick after Ghana goalkeeper Josephine Nyanfule was replaced by Belinda Maku Aklie.

Ghana continued to fight until the final whistle, with Gloria Ameaa scoring in the 90th minute to make it 4-2, but Nigeria held on to secure all three points.

The result leaves Ghana with three points from their opening two matches as the Black Maidens continue their campaign in a new-look WAFU-B U-17 Girls Cup format.

Following the withdrawal of Benin, the competition is being played in a league format, with the champion to be determined by the final standings after all matches are completed on September 27, 2026. The team with the highest number of points will be crowned WAFU Zone B U-17 Girls Champion, with standard football tiebreakers applied if teams finish level on points.

The Black Maidens will now turn their attention to their remaining fixtures, beginning with a clash against Togo on Monday, September 21 at 6:00pm at the Lycée Scientifique. Ghana will then face Niger on Thursday, September 24 at 2:00pm, before concluding their group campaign against Côte d’Ivoire on Saturday, September 27 at 6:00pm, with both matches also scheduled for the Lycée Scientifique.

Ghana will be hoping to return to winning ways in their remaining matches as they aim to defend their WAFU-B U-17 Girls Cup title.

Ghana’s Black Maidens have made a commanding start to their WAFU-B U-17 Girls Cup title defence, defeating Burkina Faso 4-0 in their opening game of the competition.

Captain Seidatu Wahab opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 6th minute, giving Ghana an early advantage and setting the tone for a dominant display.

The Black Maidens doubled their lead just before the break, with Gloria Ameaa finding the back of the net in the 45+3rd minute to send Ghana into the interval with a comfortable 2-0 advantage.

Ghana continued to control proceedings after the restart and extended their lead in the 73rd minute through Benedicta Nketiah Danso, who made it 3-0.

Hajara Adams then completed the scoring in the 84th minute with a superb effort directly from the corner, sealing a convincing 4-0 victory for the defending champions.

Goalkeeper Josephine Nyanfule, making her first start for the Black Maidens, also kept a clean sheet as Ghana began their title defence in emphatic fashion.

The Black Maidens are defending the WAFU-B U-17 Girls Cup title and entered the competition with expectations high after their previous success. Ghana are also among the teams using the tournament as part of preparations towards the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

Ghana’s Remaining Fixtures

Following the opening-day victory, the Black Maidens will continue their campaign against:

Ghana vs Nigeria — Saturday, September 19 | 3:00pm | Lycée Scientifique

Togo vs Ghana — Tuesday, September 22 | 3:00pm | Lycée Scientifique

Niger vs Ghana — Thursday, September 24 | 6:00pm | Stade CKB

Côte d’Ivoire vs Ghana — Saturday, September 27 | 3:00pm | Stade CKB

The competition has adopted a league/round-robin format following Benin’s withdrawal, meaning Ghana will face all five of their remaining opponents.

With three points already secured, the Black Maidens will now turn their attention to Nigeria as they continue their quest to retain the WAFU-B U-17 Girls Cup.