Ghana’s Black Maidens staged a spirited comeback to secure a 3-3 draw against Brazil in their second Group C match at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup on Wednesday, October 21, keeping their hopes of reaching the knockout stage alive.
The result extends Ghana’s unbeaten record against Brazil in their two meetings at the U-17 Women’s World Cup, following their 1-0 victory over the South Americans in 2010.
Brazil drew first blood in Wednesday’s encounter, but Ghana responded through Rafia in the 31st minute before Gloria Ameaa completed the turnaround four minutes later to give the Black Maidens a 2-1 advantage.
However, Brazil struck again in the 44th minute to restore parity and ensure both sides went into the halftime break level at 2-2.
The South Americans regained the lead in the 57th minute, putting Ghana under pressure to find another equaliser.
The Black Maidens thought they had drawn level in the 76th minute through Cynthia, but her effort was ruled out, delaying Ghana’s search for an equaliser.
Ghana continued to push forward, and their persistence eventually paid off in the 85th minute when Priscilla Mensah found the back of the net to secure a valuable point for the West African side.
The draw represents an improvement on Ghana’s opening Group C fixture, in which they suffered a 3-0 defeat to Norway, leaving them with one point from their first two matches.
In the group’s other encounter, Canada recorded a 3-2 victory over Norway, further tightening the race for qualification ahead of the final round of group matches.
Ghana currently sit bottom of Group C and must produce a strong performance against Canada in their final group game to keep their hopes of advancing to the knockout stage alive.
Despite their disappointing start to the tournament, the Black Maidens will draw encouragement from their resilience against Brazil as they prepare for a crucial showdown with the Canadians.
