Black Starlets captain Issah Abdul Rafiu has apologised to Ghanaians after Ghana failed to qualify for the 2027 U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.

Ghana’s hopes of reaching the tournament were ended by a 1-0 defeat by Ivory Coast in the semi-finals of the 2026 WAFU Zone B U17 Championship on Tuesday.

Speaking ahead of the third-place play-off against hosts Burkina Faso, Issah asked for forgiveness and pledged that the team would respond by winning the bronze medal.

“First of all, we want to send our apologies to Ghanaians for failing to qualify for the AFCON,” he said.

“But we want to assure them that we will show up tomorrow and win the bronze medal to show we were down by a man. That’s why we lost to Ivory Coast.”

Ghana’s semi-final campaign was disrupted in the 17th minute when defender Daniel Owusu received a straight red card, leaving the Black Starlets to play with 10 men for the remainder of the match.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, Ghana created several promising opportunities but failed to convert them into goals.

Ivory Coast eventually capitalised on their advantage, with Alex Fousseni Bamba scoring the decisive goal in the 76th minute to send his side into the final and end Ghana’s hopes of qualifying for the continental tournament.

The defeat was a major setback for the Black Starlets, who had impressed during the group stage, finishing top of Group A with seven points from three matches.

Victories over Togo and Benin, alongside a goalless draw against Burkina Faso, had raised expectations that Ghana could progress to the final and secure a place at the 2027 U17 AFCON.

However, that ambition has now been dashed, leaving the team to compete for third place in their final match of the tournament.