Ghana’s Black Princesses suffered another disappointing group-stage exit at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after a heavy 4-0 defeat to France in their final Group C fixture in Poland.

The result condemned Ghana to the bottom of the group and extended their frustrating wait for a place in the knockout stages of the competition.

The Black Princesses went into the decisive encounter knowing that a draw would at least keep their hopes of progressing alive after they revived their campaign with a victory over South Korea in their second group match.

However, they were unable to produce the performance required against a strong French side, conceding four unanswered goals after a goalless first half.

Coach Charles Sampson made one change to the side that defeated South Korea, with Latifa Abesik coming into the starting lineup for the injured Esther Asamoah.

Ghana appeared to have made a bright start when Priscilla Mensah found the back of the net early in the game, but the goal was ruled out for offside.

The decision denied the Black Princesses an early advantage and the two teams went into the break level at 0-0.

Ghana had managed to stay in contention during the opening 45 minutes, but France emerged from the interval with renewed intensity and quickly took control of the contest.

The European side found the breakthrough in the second half before adding three more goals to complete a convincing 4-0 victory.

The defeat was Ghana’s second of the tournament and proved costly in the final Group C standings.

South Korea also secured a victory over Ecuador, leaving Ghana with three points, four points behind group winners France and one point behind South Korea.

Ecuador finished third, also on three points, but Ghana’s inferior position meant the Black Princesses were eliminated from the competition.

The latest setback extends Ghana’s unwanted record at the U-20 Women’s World Cup.

Since making their debut at the tournament in 2010, the Black Princesses have now suffered eight consecutive group-stage exits, failing once again to advance to the knockout rounds.

The latest elimination will come as a disappointment to a team that had hoped to end that long-standing run.

Ghana had shown signs of recovery after losing their opening match, with the victory over South Korea keeping their qualification hopes alive and setting up the final group game as a crucial showdown.

But the Black Princesses could not match France’s quality and intensity after the interval.

Their elimination also adds Ghana to a growing list of African teams that have struggled at this year’s tournament.

The Black Princesses are the third African representatives to exit the competition, following the earlier elimination of Benin and Tanzania.

For Ghana, attention will now turn to rebuilding ahead of the next international cycle, with the team facing renewed questions over how to translate their strong tradition at youth level into deeper runs at the U-20 Women’s World Cup.

The Black Princesses remain one of Africa’s most experienced teams at the tournament, but their inability to progress beyond the group stage continues to be a major source of frustration.

Against France, another opportunity to break that cycle slipped away.