2028 Olympic Games: Desmond Ofei names Ghana U-23 squad for Libya qualifier

Ghana U-23 head coach Desmond Ofei has named his final 23-man squad for the Black Meteors’ 2027 CAF U-23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying encounter against Libya.

The Black Meteors will travel to Benghazi for the first leg of the two-legged tie on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, as they begin their campaign to secure a place at next year’s tournament in Egypt.

Barcelona B youngster Aziz Issah headlines the squad, which includes eight foreign-based players selected for the crucial assignment.

The other overseas-based players are David Oduro of French side Annecy, Oscar Frimpong of Real Madrid II, Aaron Essel of Sacramento Republic FC, Phyenyin-Denis Marfo of SC Internacional, Lord Afrifa of SC Austria Lustenau, Joseph Opoku of Swansea City and Dan Adu-Adjei of HNK Rijeka.

Ofei has also included several players from the domestic league, with Asante Kotoko duo Hubert Gyau and Emmanuel Sanja among those selected.

Medeama SC midfielder Kelvin Nkrumah, Alidu Labaran of Vision FC, Raymond Agyemang of Aduana FC, Ishmael Addo of Heart of Lions, Eric Wiafe of Swedru All Blacks, Owusu Ansah of Port City FC and Firdaus Mohammed of Steadfast FC are also part of the squad.

Ghana will be hoping to secure a favourable result in Benghazi before hosting Libya in the return fixture, with victory over the two legs sending the Black Meteors into the next qualifying round.

Should they progress, Ghana will face either Equatorial Guinea or Niger for a place in the final qualifying round.

The three-round qualification series will produce seven teams who will join hosts Egypt for the eight-team 2027 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations tournament.

The competition will also serve as the qualification pathway for the men’s football event at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Ghana are seeking a return to the Olympic men’s football tournament for the first time in more than two decades, having last featured at the Games in Athens in 2004.

A successful qualifying campaign would therefore represent an important step towards ending the country’s lengthy absence from the Olympic stage.