Twenty-nine players have been handed call-ups to begin preparations for Ghana's participation in the 2026 WAFU Zone B U-17 Championship, following an extensive talent identification and screening exercise conducted by Black Starlets coach Kasim Ocansey Mingle.

The selected players emerged from a series of scouting and screening exercises organized across the country as Coach Mingle and his technical team searched for promising talents from the 2010-year group.

The 29 players will now commence preparations for the 2026 WAFU Zone B U-17 Championship, where Ghana will be seeking to emerge as one of the two teams that secure qualification to the 2027 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations.

The WAFU Zone B U-17 Championship, which will be held in October in Ouagadougou, also serves as the qualifying tournament for the 2027 U-17 AFCON, with only the two finalists earning tickets to the continental tournament.

Coach Mingle's selection follows a structured scouting process that took his technical team to various parts of the country in search of players capable of competing at the highest youth level.

Competition for places in the final squad is expected to remain intense as the selected players seek to impress the coaches during training and subsequent assessment matches.

Ghana's qualification for the 2027 U-17 AFCON will depend on the Black Starlets' performance at the WAFU Zone B Championship, making the upcoming regional tournament a crucial first test for Coach Mingle's young side.