Head Coach of the Black Princesses, Charles Sampson, says he is proud of his team for showing resilience to qualify for the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup.
He spoke after the draw against Uganda in Kampala, where the team came from behind to secure the crucial result that sent them to the biennial tournament.
“This has been our goal from day one. Since January last year, our goal was to qualify for the World Cup, and we were going step by step,” Sampson said.
“We met Uganda as the final hurdle to qualify. With the first game at home, we had a plan to build a good margin coming here, but it didn’t work out. We lost a bit of control in the first half, about 30 minutes, but we were able to redeem ourselves in the second half with some adjustments.”
“When we came to Uganda, our plan was to increase our margin, and that’s why we went on the offensive because we knew Uganda would do the same. Unfortunately, they got the goal that could have taken them through, but the girls showed a lot of character, a lot of resilience, and willingness beyond the normal.”
“And I’m so, so proud of them, proud of the team, for how they have been able to qualify. This is one of the things that makes me say how we qualified is what I’m most impressed with. This group has been tested in so many different ways. To come out of this with a red card, down to 10 players, and still show this sort of resilience and character to qualify — words cannot describe how I feel about the group.”
“This was a worthy opponent for us to face, and it makes the qualification even more special. They played really well in Accra and scored the first goal. They were able to stop us from playing through the middle, which is one of our strengths.”
“I feel really good. One thing about us is we never give up. In our game, when you score us one, there’s still hope for us to do even more. That never-give-up spirit has been our strength, and it has helped us win and qualify for the World Cup.”
The FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup is scheduled to be played in Poland from September 5-27, 2026.
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