Ghana's Black Maidens are back on the world stage in Morocco, and a tough Norway side stands between them and a fast start in Group C.
Ghana's Black Maidens are back at the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup after missing the last edition, and they open their Morocco 2025 campaign against Norway on Sunday, 19 October. Kick-off is at 18:00 GMT at the Mohammed VI Football Complex, Pitch 3, in a Group C opener that sets the tone for everything to come.
Head coach Joe Nana Adarkwa's squad has been in Morocco since early October. They spent two weeks training in Casablanca before moving to Rabat for the final stage of preparations. The warm-ups brought mixed results: a 3-0 defeat to China, then a 2-1 win over Kenya on 14 October to steady the group.
Norway will be no pushover. Coached by Elise Brotangen, the Scandinavians arrive in strong youth-level form after reaching the semi-finals of this year's UEFA U-17 Women's Championship.
Ghana carry the richer World Cup pedigree, though. They won bronze in 2012 and have reached the quarter-finals three times, history this young group will want to build on. Brazil and Canada complete Group C, so a positive result against Norway would go a long way toward putting the Black Maidens on course for the knockout rounds.
