2026 U17 WWC: Adarkwa ‘proud’ of Black Maidens players despite quarterfinal exit

Head coach of the Ghana U-17 women’s national team, Nana Joe Adarkwa, has praised his team despite their elimination from the ongoing World Cup.

The Black Maidens suffered a quarterfinal heartbreak following their defeat to Japan on Sunday, November 1, failing to make the semifinals of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

Adarakwa’s side fell to a 1-0 defeat to the Asian side as their journey in the competition came to an end in the last eight.

Speaking following the end of the game, the gaffer commended the efforts of everyone involved in the team’s outing at the tournament.

“I am proud of the ladies, proud of my technical team; they did well, they played their hearts out, and they did their best, but our best wasn’t enough,” he said.

“In the end, I have to congratulate the Japanese; they did well.

“Going forward, we are going to sit back and see what happens; we will build on the positives and learn from the things we did wrong.”

Ghana’s exit leaves Nigeria as the only African side in the competition, having beaten Venezuela to reach the semifinals of the tournament.