On September 20, 2025, Ghana’s female Under 20 football squad delivered an upset victory of 2-0 over Tunisia in the first leg of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup qualifiers.
In Sfax, Tunisia, the team managed a two-goal lead and held off the Tunisians before departing back to Ghana for the second leg.
But behind the scenes, the path leading to their victory was anything but smooth.
The Black Princesses endured an arduous flight path on the way to Tunisia: They flew from Accra to Lagos, Lagos to Cotonou, Cotonou to Istanbul, Istanbul to Tunis, and finally, a three-and-a-half-hour bus ride to their destination.
The team only had a 30-minute training session to prepare for their match. But despite their transgressions, they still managed to produce a victory.
Back in Accra a week later, they repeated the feat, securing another 2-0 win to advance 4-0 on aggregate to the third round, where they will face South Africa in February.
In media circles, their victory was not as widely celebrated as their male counterparts, but sports journalists noted their victory.
The team had been scheduled to be paid a standard $100 daily allowance to cover meals, transportation, and other essentials during national duty.
But according to media reports, the players have yet to be paid.
“Some even had to borrow money from their coaches just to get home,” sports journalist Fentuo Tahiru wrote in a widely shared X thread this week.
According to Joy Sports sources, the players received a GHS 500 stipend each from the Ghana Football Association (GFA) as a way to offset the financial burden on them during the national assignment.
The National Team Is Not Immune to Payment Delays
A few days ago, the senior women’s team — the Black Queens — boycotted training ahead of their 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Egypt, demanding their outstanding bonuses from their bronze-medal finish at the 2024 WAFCON in Morocco.
The Queens’ standoff, which forced a last-minute intervention from the Sports Ministry.
The team has not been given a firm timeline for when they will receive their bonuses.
The latest issue underscores the frequent delays in paying female sports athletes compared to the men players, like the Black Stars, who received their allowances promptly after their recent World Cup qualifiers.
A Pattern of Delayed Payments
This would not be the first time female players have faced delayed payments.
In 2016, the U-17 female team, the Black Maidens, staged a boycott, refusing to leave their hotel after delayed promises of their bonuses.
In 2015, the Black Queens who won gold at the All-Africa Games also refused to vacate their hotel after the Sports Ministry stated they would pay them only $2000 of their promised bonus of $5,000.
The latest issue continues to show a pattern of negligence and poor processes.
The Ministry of Sports stated that the Black Princesses are currently processing payments for per diem for the players. As of this publication, players have yet to receive payments.
