Ghana’s U-17 women’s national team coach, Joe Nana Adarkwa, has revealed how encouragement, positive reinforcement and financial incentives helped rebuild the confidence of the Black Maidens during their campaign at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.

The Ghanaian side endured a difficult start to the tournament, suffering a 3-0 defeat to Norway in their opening Group C fixture. However, the team responded strongly, fighting back to secure a 3-3 draw against Brazil before recording an impressive 2-0 victory over Canada to advance to the knockout stage.

Adarkwa explained that despite the disappointing opening result, the players remained determined to fight for qualification rather than return home early. According to the coach, their determination was evident during preparations for the crucial group-stage encounters.

“When we were in camp, you could see from their faces that we didn’t have to go home and that we’d win the game and stay. And lo and behold, it happened,” he said.

The coach attributed the team’s resurgence partly to the approach adopted by the technical staff, who focused on building the players’ confidence while helping them identify and correct their mistakes.

“We praised them because, for our girls, you have to praise them all the time before you let them know their mistakes,” Adarkwa added.

He further disclosed that incentives were introduced to improve morale and motivate the players to deliver better performances as the competition progressed.

“We gave them some incentives to boost their morale, and now you can see that everything is on top; their spirit is on top. We’ll wait and see what happens in Wednesday’s game.”

The renewed confidence proved valuable as Ghana went on to defeat Argentina in the Round of 16, securing a place in the quarter-finals after a 1-1 draw in regulation time and a 5-4 victory on penalties.

The Black Maidens had to overcome the added challenge of playing with ten players after a sending-off, but they remained resilient to force the contest into a shootout. Jessica Appiah converted the decisive penalty to complete the victory and send Ghana into the last eight.

The result underlined the team’s remarkable recovery from their opening defeat and demonstrated the impact of the confidence-building approach adopted by Adarkwa and his technical team.

Ghana will now turn their attention to the quarter-finals, hoping to maintain their improved performances and continue their pursuit of a historic run at the tournament.