Ghana’s U-17 women’s national team, the Black Maidens, will open their 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifying campaign against Togo in April, marking their return to competitive action after serving a ban for age cheating in 2022.

The first-round fixture forms part of the African qualifiers for the tournament, which will culminate in the finals hosted by Morocco. Should the Black Maidens overcome Togo, they will progress to face the winner of the Liberia vs Libya tie in the second round.

The draw for the African qualifiers was conducted on Saturday in Rabat, officially setting the continent on the road to the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

A total of 31 African teams are competing in the qualification process, which is spread across three knockout rounds played on a home-and-away basis.

First-leg matches are scheduled between April 10 and 19, with Ghana set to play on April 10, while the return fixtures will take place a week later on April 17.

At the end of the third and final round, four teams will book their tickets to represent Africa at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup finals in Morocco.

For the Black Maidens, the qualifiers present an opportunity to rebuild their image and reassert themselves on the continental stage.