Ghana's Black Meteors have landed in Libya with a spot in the next U-23 AFCON qualifying round and a long Olympic wait on the line.
Ghana's young stars have arrived in North Africa for a high-stakes test. The Black Meteors, led by head coach Desmond Ofei, landed at Benina International Airport in Benghazi on Sunday, November 8, 2026, to begin preparing for their CAF U-23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Libya.
The first leg of the second-round tie comes on Wednesday, November 11, at Benghazi International Stadium. Kick-off is 7pm local time, 5pm in Ghana. A week later, the sides meet again at the Accra Sports Stadium on Tuesday, November 17, 2026, where the two-legged contest will be settled.
The prize is a place in the next stage of qualification, where the winners will face either Equatorial Guinea or Niger. Ghana skipped the opening round of the three-stage series after receiving a bye, so this is their first real test. Seven qualifiers will eventually join hosts Egypt at the eight-team 2027 tournament.
The stakes go beyond one continental finals appearance. This campaign is also viewed as a chance for Ghana to rebuild its hopes of getting back to Olympic men's football. The Black Meteors last played at the Games in Athens in 2004, and the wait since then has been long. Getting past Libya on the road would be an important early step.
