BY ISSAH OLEGOR
Ghana U-23 head coach Desmond Ofei has unveiled his final 23-man squad for the Black Meteors’ 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying encounter against Libya, with Barcelona B forward Aziz Issah among the headline selections.
The squad features eight foreign-based players as Ghana prepare for a crucial two-legged tie in their bid to secure a place at the continental tournament and revive their ambitions of returning to men’s Olympic football.
The Black Meteors will travel to Benghazi for the first leg on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, before hosting Libya in the return fixture. Ofei will be hoping his selected players can deliver the results needed to advance to the next stage of the qualifying campaign.
Issah, who plays for Barcelona B, is joined by seven other players based outside Ghana. They include defender David Oduro of French club Annecy, Oscar Frimpong of Real Madrid II and Aaron Essel of Sacramento Republic FC.
The other foreign-based players are Phyenyin-Denis Marfo of SC Internacional, Lord Afrifa of SC Austria Lustenau, Joseph Opoku of Swansea City and Dan Adu-Adjei of HNK Rijeka.
Ofei has also turned to the domestic league for reinforcements, with Asante Kotoko contributing two players to the squad. Hubert Gyau and Emmanuel Sanja have both earned places in the final selection.
Other locally based players include Kelvin Nkrumah of Medeama SC, Alidu Labaran of Vision FC, Raymond Agyemang of Aduana FC and Ishmael Addo of Heart of Lions.
Eric Wiafe of Swedru All Blacks, Owusu Ansah of Port City FC and Firdaus Mohammed of Steadfast FC have also been selected as Ofei blends local and foreign-based talent for the assignment.
Ghana face a demanding qualification route, with the Black Meteors required to negotiate three rounds before securing a place at the eight-team tournament in Egypt. The seven successful qualifying teams will join hosts Egypt at the final competition.
Should Ghana eliminate Libya, they will advance to face the winner of the other qualifying tie between Equatorial Guinea and Niger.
The campaign carries particular importance for Ghana, who are seeking to return to the men’s Olympic football tournament for the first time since their appearance at the 2004 Athens Games.
