Black Maidens crash out of U-17 Women's World Cup after 1-0 defeat to Japan

• Ghana's Black Maidens have been eliminated from the 2026 U-17 Women's World Cup after losing 1-0 to Japan in the quarter-finals.

• Nanami Kurita scored the decisive goal in the 54th minute to send Japan into the semi-finals.

• Ghana reached the quarter-finals after finishing third in Group C and beating Argentina 5-4 on penalties in the round of 16.

Ghana's Black Maidens have been eliminated from the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup after suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat to Japan in the quarter-finals.

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The defeat came on Sunday, November 1, 2026, at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Salé, Morocco, bringing the team's campaign to an end at the last-eight stage.

Japan's Nanami Kurita scored the only goal of the match in the 54th minute after Yuka Kishida's attempt took a deflection and fell into her path inside the penalty area.

Kurita made no mistake from close range to give Japan the lead.

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The Black Maidens struggled to create clear scoring opportunities against a disciplined Japanese side that controlled much of the match.

Ghana attempted to find an equaliser after conceding but could not break through Japan's defence before the final whistle.

Head coach Joe Nana Adarkwa made two changes to his starting team, with Mavis Koah and Belinda Kpentey coming into the side.

Captain Seidatu Wahab missed the encounter through injury, while Hajara Adam was unavailable after receiving a red card in Ghana's previous match against Argentina. Osman Rafia took over the captain's armband.

Despite the defeat, Ghana's players had put together an impressive run to reach the quarter-finals.

The Black Maidens began their Group C campaign with a 3-0 defeat to Norway before drawing 3-3 with Brazil.

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They recovered to beat Canada 2-0 in their final group match, collecting four points to progress to the knockout stage.

Ghana then produced a determined performance against Argentina in the round of 16, securing a 5-4 victory on penalties after playing out a 1-1 draw.

Following Sunday's defeat, coach Joe Nana Adarkwa expressed pride in his players despite their elimination.