Ghana’s U-23 national team, the Black Meteors, will officially begin preparations for the 2027 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers when they open a training camp in Accra on Wednesday, August 5, 2026.
Head coach Desmond Ofei has invited the local contingent of players to report to the Erata Hotel at East Legon by 4:00 p.m. as preparations gather momentum ahead of the qualifying campaign, which gets underway later this year.
The initial camp is made up exclusively of players from Ghana’s Premier League and Division One League, with the Ghana Football Association expected to announce separate arrangements for foreign-based players in the coming weeks.
Although the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers will commence during the September international window, Ghana has received a bye and will enter the competition in October. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is yet to conduct the draw and confirm Ghana’s opponents.
The locally based players are expected to form the nucleus of the Black Meteors squad as Ofei begins assembling a team capable of returning Ghana to the continental stage after missing out on the last edition of the tournament.
The stakes are high, as the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations also serves as the qualification pathway to the men’s football tournament at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Ofei arrives with an impressive youth football pedigree, having guided Ghana’s U-20 men’s team to the gold medal at the 2023 African Games in Accra. His appointment has generated optimism that he can replicate that success with the Black Meteors and restore the country’s reputation at the U-23 level.
The upcoming training camp will give the technical team an opportunity to assess the form of the domestic players, establish the team’s tactical identity, and build a competitive squad before welcoming the foreign-based professionals ahead of the qualifiers.
The Ghana Football Association is expected to announce the full squad list as well as further details on the team’s preparations in the coming days.If you share the full list of invited players, I can also incorporate their names and clubs into the story.
