Ghana's young stars have touched down in Azerbaijan, ready to carry Africa's flag into a three-day group-stage sprint starting Saturday against Uzbekistan.
Africa's next generation has arrived on the world stage. Ghana's National U-15 Boys team landed safely in Baku, Azerbaijan, ahead of the FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival, and the youngsters are already in tournament mode.
The delegation left Accra on Wednesday and received a warm welcome at the airport on arrival. The 12-strong party of players and technical staff wasted little time, completing the mandatory registration and documentation soon after landing. The mood in camp was upbeat as preparations got under way, and Ghana held their first training session on Thursday evening.
Ghana are in Group W with Uzbekistan, Myanmar, Guam, Bahamas and Kazakhstan, and the schedule is compact. They open against Uzbekistan on Saturday, October 24, then face Myanmar and Guam on Sunday, October 25. They close the group phase against Bahamas and Kazakhstan on Monday, October 26.
The event is part of FIFA's Talent Development Scheme, which gives young footballers early exposure to international competition. For this Ghanaian group, it is a chance to test themselves against opponents from several continents and show what African youth football can produce.
