By Kwame Bediako
The Ministry of Sports and Recreation has cleared the per‑diem for Ghana’s U20 women’s team, the Black Princesses, specifically for their final‑round World Cup qualifying matches against Uganda, following their qualification for the 2026 FIFA U‑20 Women’s World Cup in Poland. However, allowances for the earlier qualifying round against South Africa remain unpaid, according to Joy Sports.
What’s settled and what’s not
The Ministry has now paid the per‑diem for the Uganda leg, which included a 2‑1 win in Accra and a 1‑1 draw in Kampala. Allowances for the penultimate round against South Africa are still outstanding, even though the squad had already returned from Kampala.
Standoff and player concerns
The Black Princesses reportedly refused to leave their hotel camp in Accra until at least the Uganda payment was settled, citing past experiences of delayed payments. The Ghana Football Association provided a GHS 500 token as a temporary stipend on their return, but players remained wary that exiting camp would make the Ministry less likely to honour the remaining debt.
World Cup group and outlook
The Black Princesses have been drawn into Group C at the 2026 U‑20 Women’s World Cup in Poland, facing France, South Korea and Ecuador. The partial payment issue underlines ongoing financial tensions between national teams and the Ministry, even as the team prepares for a tough World Cup campaign abroad.
