Aziz Issah leads eight foreign-based players in Ghana U-23 squad for Libya qualifier

Ghana U-23 head coach Desmond Ofei has named his final 23-man squad for the Black Meteors' 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying tie against Libya.

Barcelona B forward Aziz Issah headlines the selection, which includes eight foreign-based players for the two-legged encounter as Ghana begin their quest to return to the continental competition.

The Black Meteors will travel to Benghazi for the first leg on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, before hosting the return fixture as they look to secure progress to the next qualifying round.

Issah is joined by seven other players based abroad, including defender David Oduro of French side Annecy, Oscar Frimpong of Real Madrid II and Aaron Essel of Sacramento Republic FC.

The other foreign-based selections 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 included several players from the domestic league, with Asante Kotoko duo Hubert Gyau and Emmanuel Sanja among those selected.

Kelvin Nkrumah of Medeama SC, Alidu Labaran of Vision FC, Raymond Agyemang of Aduana FC, Ishmael Addo of Heart of Lions, Eric Wiafe of Swedru All Blacks, Owusu Ansah of Port City FC and Firdaus Mohammed of Steadfast FC are also part of the squad.

Ghana must navigate three qualifying rounds to reach the eight-team tournament in Egypt, with the seven successful teams joining the hosts at the finals. Should the Black Meteors overcome Libya, they will face the winner of the tie between Equatorial Guinea and Niger.

The qualification campaign carries added significance for Ghana, who are seeking a return to men's Olympic football for the first time since the 2004 Athens Games.

A successful run in the qualifiers would give the Black Meteors an opportunity to end that long absence and secure a place at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.