President of the Ghana Football Association, Kurt Okraku, has urged the Black Princesses to advance beyond the group stage in the upcoming 2024 Women’s U-20 World Cup.

The Black Princesses, making their seventh consecutive World Cup appearance, have been drawn into Group E with New Zealand, Japan, and Austria under the guidance of Yusif Basigi.

Previous performances have been disappointing, with the Black Princesses failing to progress beyond the group stage in the last six editions.

In 2018, Ghana finished third in their group behind France and the Netherlands, securing only one win against fourth-placed New Zealand. In the 2022 edition, the Black Princesses finished last in their group, losing all their matches.

From 2014 to 2022, the Black Princesses have won only three of their 12 World Cup matches.

These performances have prompted the FA President to caution the team ahead of the games.

Speaking at a press briefing in Sunyani, President Kurt Okraku called on the players to do their best to surpass the previous six editions.

“For the sixth consecutive time that we’ve been to the World Cup, we’ve not gone beyond the group stages. This year, the vision is very clear: we’re going to the competition, and we must better our performances,” he said.

The Ghana Football Association President also highlighted the support provided to the players ahead of the games.

“We’ve given the team all the support they need. We believe they are a good team, and we believe the technical team is well on course to deliver,” he added.

The Black Princesses will move to Accra today to finalize their preparations for the tournament.

The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup will take place in Colombia from Saturday, August 31 to Sunday, September 22, 2024.

The Black Princesses will open their campaign against Austria on Monday, September 2, before facing Japan and New Zealand.

Meanwhile, GhanaWeb is set to premiere a documentary on playwright Uncle Ebo Whyte on Monday, August 19, 2024. Watch the trailer below: