Ghana’s Black Maidens produced a spirited comeback to hold Brazil to a 3-3 draw at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup on Wednesday, October 21, securing their first point of the tournament and keeping their hopes of reaching the knockout stage alive.
The Ghanaian side had to recover from falling behind twice before Priscilla Mensah struck in the 85th minute to complete the comeback and rescue a valuable point in their second Group C fixture.
Brazil opened the scoring, but Ghana responded strongly through Rafia, who equalised in the 31st minute, before Gloria Ameaa scored four minutes later to put the Black Maidens ahead 2-1.
The South Americans fought back to restore parity in the 44th minute, sending the teams into the half-time break level at 2-2.
Brazil regained the lead in the 57th minute, leaving Ghana with another deficit to overcome.
The Black Maidens appeared to have drawn level in the 76th minute through Cynthia, but the goal was ruled out.
Undeterred, Ghana continued to push forward and were rewarded nine minutes before the end of regulation time when Priscilla Mensah found the net to make it 3-3.
The result offers a measure of relief for Ghana after their 3-0 defeat to Norway in their opening match and extends their unbeaten record against Brazil at the U-17 Women’s World Cup.
Ghana previously defeated Brazil 1-0 at the competition in 2010, making Wednesday’s draw another positive result against the South American side.
Canada clash becomes crucial
Despite the comeback, the Black Maidens face a difficult task in their final Group C match against Canada as they seek to secure a place in the knockout stage.
Canada strengthened their position in the group with a 3-2 victory over Norway in the other fixture, leaving the race for qualification open ahead of the final round of matches.
Ghana sit bottom of Group C with one point from two games and will need a strong performance against Canada, alongside favourable results elsewhere, to improve their chances of progressing.
The draw against Brazil has nevertheless demonstrated the team’s resilience and ability to compete under pressure, qualities they will need when they face Canada in what could prove decisive to their tournament campaign.
