The Black Starlets suffered a 1-0 defeat to Mali in their final preparatory friendly ahead of the 2026 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
The international friendly was played at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium as Ghana wrapped up preparations for the continental tournament.
The Black Starlets had earlier played two friendly matches against Ivory Coast during their training tour in Abidjan. Ghana lost the first encounter 2-0 before bouncing back strongly with an emphatic 4-0 victory over the Young Elephants in the second game.
Head coach Prosper Narteh Ogum and his technical team are expected to use the defeat against Mali to further assess the squad, finalize their plans and continue building momentum ahead of the tournament opener.
The technical handlers will also use the preparatory matches to identify the team’s strengths and weaknesses while working to correct mistakes before the competition officially begins.
Ghana return to the U-17 AFCON after a nine-year absence and have been drawn in Group D alongside Senegal, Algeria and South Africa. The tournament is scheduled to run from May 13 to June 2 in Morocco.
