Black Starlets head coach Kassim Ocansey says Ghana will respond to their semi-final defeat by Ivory Coast when they face hosts Burkina Faso in the third-place play-off at the 2026 WAFU Zone B U17 Championship on Friday.

Ghana were beaten 1-0 by Ivory Coast on Tuesday after defender Daniel Owusu was sent off in the 17th minute. The dismissal left the Black Starlets playing with 10 men for most of the match, before Alex Fousseni Bamba scored the only goal in the 76th minute.

The victory sent Ivory Coast through to the final and secured their qualification for the 2027 U17 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

Although Ghana missed out on the final, Ocansey believes his team can demonstrate their quality against Burkina Faso and finish the tournament with a bronze medal.

“We will play for all to know that no team can beat us with 11 v 11. You will have to reduce our numbers before you can defeat us,” he said.

“In our final group game with Burkina Faso, we rested 7 of our key players and that game ended in a draw.”

Ocansey also confirmed that several of the players left out of the starting line-up for that Group A fixture are expected to return for Friday’s match.

“This time around, about 4 or 5 of them will be ready for Burkina Faso and we will show what we have,” he added.

“We’ll improve against Burkina Faso on Friday. We’ve motivated the boys and if they respond the way they’ve been training always, we will go home with the bronze medal.”

Ghana made seven changes to their starting line-up for the final group match against Burkina Faso after already securing a place in the semi-finals. The teams played out a goalless draw.

The Black Starlets had begun their Group A campaign with a 1-0 victory over Togo before beating Benin 3-1. They finished top of the group with seven points.

Friday’s play-off gives Ghana the chance to end their campaign positively after their semi-final loss ended their hopes of reaching the final and achieving their principal target of qualifying for the 2027 U17 Africa Cup of Nations.

Ocansey’s side must now overcome the hosts to claim the bronze medal and recover from the disappointment of their defeat by Ivory Coast.

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