Black Maidens head coach Joe Nana Adarkwa has vowed to adopt a more aggressive approach when Ghana face Argentina in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco on Wednesday.
Ghana will battle the South American side at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Rabat, with a place in the quarter-finals up for grabs as the Black Maidens seek to extend their stay in the competition.
Adarkwa’s side head into the knockout encounter with growing confidence after recovering from an opening-day defeat to Norway to secure qualification from Group C.
Ghana began their campaign with a 3-0 loss to Norway but responded with a spirited 3-3 draw against Brazil before recording a crucial 2-0 victory over Canada in their final group match.
Substitutes Linda Achiaa and Christiana Ashiaku scored against Canada to seal Ghana’s place in the last 16. Achiaa struck just 35 seconds after coming off the bench, while Ashiaku added the second goal in stoppage time.
The coach believes the performance against Brazil offers valuable lessons as Ghana prepare to face another South American opponent.
“I can see that Argentinians play like Brazilians,” Adarkwa told FIFA.
“We are going to intensify the approach we took against Brazil and push harder. South American teams play like Ghanaians; we always get the ball down and play.”
Despite his attacking intentions, Adarkwa recognises that the knockout stage demands greater concentration, with any defeat bringing Ghana’s campaign to an end.
“Because this is the knockout phase, when they score, you have to pack everything and go back home,” he said.
“So we are going to approach this match in a different way, with a different mentality, everything. We are going to push, push, until the end of the game.”
Argentina will present a stern test, having scored nine goals during the group stage. Their campaign included a commanding 5-1 victory over hosts Morocco and a 2-0 win against New Zealand.
One of Ghana’s major concerns will be Argentina forward Mercedes Diz, who scored six goals across the three group matches, including a hat-trick against Morocco.
Adarkwa says his technical team will study the forward’s performances and devise a strategy to minimise her threat.
“We have to be careful about that,” he said.
The Ghana coach also stressed the need for his players to improve their finishing, noting that creating opportunities would not be enough against an opponent with Argentina’s attacking quality.
“We have to take our chances because we are one of the teams in this tournament that have created a lot of chances, but how to convert them is another problem,” he added.
“So we’re looking forward to it, but we have to be cautious in our back line so that they won’t catch us.”
The encounter offers Ghana an opportunity to build on their history at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. The Black Maidens won bronze at the inaugural tournament in 2012 and reached the quarter-finals in 2014, 2016 and 2018.
After missing the previous two editions, Ghana have returned to the global stage determined to make their presence felt.
Progress against Argentina would take the Black Maidens into the quarter-finals for the fifth time in their history. To achieve that, Adarkwa’s team will need to combine the attacking ambition displayed against Brazil and Canada with improved finishing and defensive discipline.
