Ghana captain Issah Abdul Rafiu says the Black Starlets will remain fully focused when they face hosts Burkina Faso in their final Group A match at the 2026 WAFU Zone B U17 Championship.
Ghana have already secured a place in the semi-finals after their earlier results in the competition, but Issah insists that qualification will not lead to complacency in Ouagadougou.
The captain said the team’s immediate priority was to finish the group stage positively, while also correcting the lapses that affected their display against Benin.
“Despite the fact that we have already qualified for the semi-final, we aren’t going to relax. We (the players) are focused,” Issah said.
Ghana’s progress to the last four has been confirmed before their meeting with Burkina Faso, but the Black Starlets are determined to approach the fixture with the same concentration required at the start of the tournament.
Issah acknowledged that Ghana lost focus during the match against Benin. He said the players had since discussed the performance among themselves and were committed to learning from the mistakes before facing the hosts.
“Just like our coach said, we lost concentration against Benin but as players we have spoken amongst ourselves and we’ll correct our mistakes,” he added.
The match will give Ghana an opportunity to produce a more disciplined performance and build momentum before the knockout stage. Issah’s comments also underline the squad’s determination to maintain its standards despite having achieved its initial target of reaching the semi-finals.
Kassim Ocansey’s team will now attempt to end the group phase strongly against Burkina Faso, with the fixture providing another test before the competition’s decisive matches.
The WAFU Zone B U17 Championship also serves as a qualifying competition for the 2027 U17 Africa Cup of Nations.
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