Ghana’s Black Maidens began their 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup campaign with a 3-0 defeat by Norway in their Group C opener in Morocco.
Norway claimed their first-ever victory at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup with three outstanding strikes, while Ghana were left to rue a series of missed opportunities.
Cynthia O. came closest to changing the course of the match when she went one-on-one with the Norwegian goalkeeper, but her effort was blocked. Ghana were unable to find a way through after that chance and finished the game without scoring.
The result is an early setback for head coach Joe Nana Adarkwa, whose side are competing at the tournament again after missing the previous edition.
Ghana secured their place at the finals after a strong African qualifying campaign. They recorded consecutive 8-0 wins against Togo and Liberia before defeating Senegal in a penalty shootout.
The Black Maidens had also hoped to add to Ghana’s notable record in the competition. The country won bronze at the 2012 edition and have reached the quarter-finals three times.
Their route to the knockout stage has now become more difficult, with Brazil and Canada also in Group C. Ghana will need to recover from the opening defeat and be more clinical in front of goal during their remaining matches.
Ghana are scheduled to play Brazil on October 22 before meeting Canada on October 24. Both fixtures will be crucial to their hopes of progressing to the knockout stage.
