Ghana’s U-23 team, the Black Meteors, held another training session at the University of Ghana Stadium on Saturday as head coach Desmond Ofei works through a 31-man home-based squad ahead of qualifiers that double as Ghana’s route to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The session builds on a camp Ofei opened on August 5 at the Erata Hotel in East Legon, drawing players exclusively from the Ghana Premier League and Division One League. The squad includes goalkeepers Daniel Afful of Accra Lions and Gidios Aseako of Dreams FC, a ten-man defensive unit featuring Medeama’s Paul Yeboah and Gold Stars’ Samuel Achampong, and a midfield led by Hearts of Oak’s George Paako and Vision FC’s Sowa Adjetey. The technical team plans to fold in foreign-based U-23 players once separate camping arrangements are finalized, meaning the current group represents only the local component of Ghana’s preparations.
Ofei is using the sessions to assess fitness, build cohesion and settle on a tactical shape before the qualifying campaign begins. The U-23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers open during the September international window, but Ghana has drawn a bye into that round and will begin its campaign in October. CAF has not yet confirmed the pairings or fixture schedule for the qualifiers.
A strong campaign would carry weight beyond the continental title. The U-23 AFCON doubles as the qualifying pathway to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, a tournament Ghana has not featured in for several editions despite winning the U-23 AFCON title in 2019. Ofei’s preparation window is designed to give the technical team time to settle on a core group before foreign-based players join the squad and qualifiers get under way.
