Ghana's Black Starlets beat Benin 3-1 to book a WAFU B U-17 semi-final spot, but coach Kassim Mingle says the job is far from done.
Ghana's youth development pipeline got another encouraging boost in Burkina Faso, as the Black Starlets secured a place in the semi-finals of the 2026 WAFU Zone B U-17 Championship. A 3-1 win over Benin in their second Group A game on Tuesday sealed the progression.
Head coach Kassim Ocansey Mingle was pleased with his young squad at the post-match press conference, though he also sounded a note of caution about complacency. The message was clear: reaching the last four is a milestone, not the destination.
Mingle explained that the team set three targets for the tournament. The first is reaching the semi-finals, the second is qualifying for AFCON, and the third is winning the whole thing. "We have accomplished one, and so we are left with two," he said.
Ghana now turn to their final group fixture against hosts Burkina Faso on Friday, October 16. The Starlets will want to carry their winning momentum into the knockout rounds, where the real fight for continental qualification begins.
