Ghana’s Under-15 boys and girls will now travel to Burkina Faso in December after the Nigeria Football Federation withdrew as host of the zonal tournament.
Burkina Faso will host the zonal phase of the 2026 WAFU B African Schools Football Championship, taking over from Nigeria, which pulled out of the arrangement.
The Under-15 competition is scheduled for 6 to 9 December 2026, and will now be played in the Burkinabe capital, Ouagadougou. Daily Guide Network reports that the switch followed the withdrawal of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), the body that runs football in Nigeria, from its hosting role.
What the tournament is
The African Schools Football Championship is run by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the governing body for the sport on the continent. It is built around school teams and is aimed at identifying talent early, strengthening grassroots football and giving young players a competitive stage.
WAFU B is the zone that covers a block of West African countries. Teams expected in Ouagadougou include Nigeria, Cote d'Ivoire, Togo, Benin, Niger and hosts Burkina Faso, alongside Ghana. Beyond zonal bragging rights, the prize is qualification to the continental finals.
Ghana's two teams
Ghana will field both an Under-15 boys' side and an Under-15 girls' side.
The girls' team, known as the Black Damsels, carry the bigger reputation into the tournament. They won silver in the WAFU B zone and are the reigning champions of the CAF African Schools Football Championship at continental level. Their task in Ouagadougou is to come through the zonal stage and set up a defence of that title.
The boys' team goes in with less of a record to protect. Their immediate aim is to finish high enough in the zone to earn a place in the next stage of the championship.
Why the venue change matters
A late change of host country is not a small thing for a youth tournament. Travel plans, visas, accommodation and budgets all have to be reworked, and schools have limited room to absorb extra cost. The source report does not give a reason for the NFF's withdrawal, and no explanation has been attached to the decision.
For Ghanaian parents, teachers and school administrators, the practical point is that the destination is now Ouagadougou rather than a Nigerian city. For supporters following from the United States and elsewhere abroad, kick-off times will fall in the same time zone as Accra, since Burkina Faso also runs on GMT.
What happens next
Attention now turns to team selection and preparation ahead of the December window. Fixtures, match venues within Ouagadougou and the final list of participating countries are matters for CAF and the WAFU B zone to confirm.
