Ghana’s Black Starlets have been knocked out of the 2026 WAFU Zone B U-17 Championship after losing 1-0 to Ivory Coast in Tuesday’s semi-final in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

The defeat ends Ghana’s hopes of reaching the final and qualifying for the 2027 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

Ghana’s task became more difficult in the 17th minute when defender Daniel Owusu was shown a straight red card for a tackle on an Ivorian striker, leaving the team with 10 men for most of the game.

Despite the setback, Kassim Ocansey’s side put up a strong fight at the 4th August Stadium and created several chances in both halves.

Striker Alidu Issah had a good opportunity to give Ghana the lead but failed to find the target, missing one of the team’s clearest chances of the match.

Ivory Coast eventually found the breakthrough in the 76th minute when Alex Fousseni Bamba scored from close range to put his side ahead.

The Black Starlets continued to search for an equaliser in the closing minutes despite their numerical disadvantage. David Kwarteng came close after controlling a pass from Prince Apam, but his effort narrowly missed the post.

The result sends Ivory Coast into the final and secures their qualification for the 2027 U-17 AFCON in Morocco, while Ghana must now turn their attention to the third-place match.

The loss will be a setback for the Starlets, who had gone unbeaten in the group stage, recording victories over Togo and Benin before drawing with hosts Burkina Faso.

Ghana will face the loser of the semi-final between Niger and Burkina Faso in the third-place playoff as they look to finish the tournament on a positive note.