Former Ghanaian international, Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu, attributes the Black Stars’ recent struggles to the collapse of the national youth teams.

He explains that Ghana’s senior national team once thrived due to a strong foundation in youth football, which is now lacking. Since the U-17 Black Starlets’ last World Cup appearance in 2017, no male youth teams from Ghana have qualified for the global stage, and only Mohammed Kudus has made it to the senior squad.

Speaking to the BBC, Agyemang-Badu highlighted the importance of youth teams in feeding talent into the Black Stars, noting their absence has weakened the team’s foundation. “Our junior teams were our weapon,” he said, “but now, the U-17, U-20, and CHAN teams have collapsed.”

He also pointed to past generations, like Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari, and Derek Boateng, who rose from the U-20 team to strengthen the Black Stars. The current lack of such a transition is evident in the team’s struggles, including the potential failure to qualify for AFCON 2025.