Ghana’s U-17 national team, the Black Starlets, have been eliminated from the 2026 U17 Africa Cup of Nations after losing a draw of lots to Algeria.
The draw was held in Rabat on Wednesday, May 21, 2026, after both teams finished Group D with the same number of points and identical goal difference.
Under CAF rules, a drawing of lots was required to decide which team finished second and third in the group.
Although both Ghana and Algeria secured qualification to the FIFA U17 World Cup, only the second-placed team advanced automatically to the AFCON quarter-finals.
As a result of the draw, Algeria progressed to the knockout stage, while Ghana exited the tournament.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Black Starlets defeated South Africa 3-1 in their final Group D match.
Joseph Narbi scored twice from the penalty spot in the first half before substitute Augustine Appiah added Ghana’s third goal in the second half.
South Africa managed to score once before halftime.
Ghana needed a fourth goal against South Africa to gain a superior goal difference over Algeria and avoid the drawing of lots.
The Black Starlets had entered the decisive match with only one point from their first two games after drawing 2-2 with Algeria and losing narrowly to Senegal.
