Maidens Not Through Yet • Now Play Nigeria, Cameroun

Ghana’s Under-17 female team, the Black Maidens, will have to engage Nigeria and Cameroun in a round-robin to decide which two countries will represent Africa at the maiden FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup to be held in New Zealand in October. This latest development has come about after world football’s governing body, FIFA, announced that Africa has only two slots instead of the three that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) had announced. Consequently, a final qualifying schedule to be honoured within one month has been released by CAF, which will see the winners and runners-up qualifying to represent Africa. Ghana will take a rest in the first game which will see Cameroun hosting Nigeria on the weekend of May 30-31. The Maidens play their first game in this final qualifier away to Nigeria on the weekend of June 6-8 before hosting Cameroun on the weekend of June 13-15. The second round will see Nigeria playing Cameroun at home on the weekend of June 20-22, Ghana will then be at home to Nigeria on the weekend of June 27-29 with the very final game being played between Cameroun and Ghana on the weekend of July 4-6. The Maidens last Monday beat DR Congo 3-0 in Lumubashie to advance on 11-0 aggregate, having won the first leg 8-0 at home and have been celebrating their supposed qualification until the changes were announced last Tuesday. The team, expected to arrive home this afternoon, will thus go straight back to camp to continue their preparations until the qualifying series are over.