Ivory Coast’s Baby Elephants thrashed Ghana Black Starlets in a 3-0 match in the ongoing WAFU B U17 Championship on Tuesday evening.

This tournament also serves as the qualifier for the 2025 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

During the match, the Baby Elephants showed dominance in a stunning display not just in the first half but throughout the game.

Just eighteen minutes into the match, Robinho Gavi Yao took advantage of Ghana’s defence loops and notched a goal to give his side a lead.

The Starlets pushed for an equaliser but were unable to find a way past a resolute Ivorian backline before the break. But the young Elephants proved too strong, combining pace and precision to outclass their visitors.

While Ghana fought to build from behind, the Ivory Coast accurately converted its chances more efficiently. In the end, they cemented their lead with two more goals in the second half, giving them an emphatic win at Stade Konan Banny. The Baby Elephants were more clinical in the final third.

Match statistics

According to the statistics, Ivory Coast dominated possession with approximately 60% registering a total of 14 shots, with 7 on target, while Ghana, on the other hand, held around 40% with 6 shots, of which only 2 were on target.

Ivory Coast also earned more corners, with 5 against Ghana’s 3. Their pass accuracy was notably higher, at around 82%, while Ghana managed roughly 68%. In terms of discipline, the Ivory Coast committed 11 fouls and received 1 yellow card, whereas Ghana committed 13 fouls and received 2 yellow cards.

Ghana: What’s at stake

Following this defeat, the Starlets currently sit at the bottom of Group A with just a point from two matches. As part of the group state schedule, the Starlets are scheduled to play three matches, and so far they have played two. Their opener, which was against Togo on Saturday, Sept 20, ended in a draw, from which they earned a point, and their second was against the Baby Elephants yesterday.

Their current position on the table leaves them at the mercy of the results from their final match with Niger on Friday, September 26, which will be hosted at the Accra Sports Stadium.

They’ll also need the Ivory Coast to defeat Togo to avoid a tie on points.

The result leaves the Ivory Coast top of Group A with six points from two matches.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Black Stars have moved a rank higher in the latest FIFA ranking. This comes after their recent performances in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

The team have climbed from 76th to 75th. The Black Stars, after two matches with Chad and Mali, respectively, still sit atop Group 1 with 19 points, despite drawing with Chad on September 4 at the Stade Olympique Maréchal Idriss Déby Itno in N'Djamena.

However, they had a win in their clash with Mali. Black Stars led by a goal, securing for themselves three (3) extra points and a point from Chad’s draw.

Despite the global improvement, their standing in Africa remains unchanged, with the four-time African champions still ranked 14th on the continent.

In July, Ghana’s Black Stars fell about six places in FIFA’s rankings at the time.

This was after their loss to Angola and a 1-1 draw with Niger during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers in September during the international break.

In the ranking released on July 10, Ghana ranked 76th in the FIFA World Rankings. This leaves the former African giant out of the top 10 national teams as they continue the push to rejoin the continent’s elite.

According to the July ranking, Argentina still held its spot as number one, followed by Spain, France, and then England, with Brazil taking the fifth spot.

In Africa, Morocco sat on top with its 12th position on the global level with 1,698.72 points. Senegal also moved a spot up from its 19th position last year. Egypt dropped to 34 on the global scale but remained 3rd in Africa despite its slight dip from the 32nd position, which was caused by a quiet international window with no matches played since March.

Meanwhile, other teams gained points through qualifiers and friendlies, allowing them to climb higher in the rankings.

Algeria (36th), Nigeria (44th) and the Ivory Coast (45th) follow closely, despite the latter’s recent AFCON success.

Tunisia (49th), Cameroon (51st), Mali (54th) and South Africa (57th) round out the African top ten, with Ghana sitting just outside the group.

Ghana played in May when they played in the Unity Cup in London, facing their long-standing rivals, Nigeria.

They lost 1–2 to the Super Eagles but ended with a resounding 4–0 win over Trinidad and Tobago in the third-place play-off.

Coach Otto Addo blamed their defeat to Nigeria on a lack of chemistry among players who he claims hadn't played together often.

Some fans also blamed our underperformance in the cup on the absence of key players like Kudus, Semenyo, and Partey due to club commitments and minor injuries.

Meanwhile, Black Stars head coach Otto Addo admitted that Ghana’s performance was below par following the squad’s draw with Chad in yesterday’s clash at N’Djamena.

Speaking during the post-match press conference, the head coach slammed his side for their wastefulness despite dominating play in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. According to him, the team wasted opportunities they got from their several dead-ball situations.

“I can’t say we played excellently, or we played well, because it was a draw. The result is everything; we had a lot of corners, we did nothing out of that…We had a lot of shots, goal attempts, we had a lot of ball possession, and normally we have to win this game. This, in the end, surely, is not good enough, and we have to improve, especially on our execution,” Otto Addo said.