Black Queens midfielder, Grace Asantewaa, believes playing against Japan, will help in the team’s rebuilding process after they narrowly missed out on qualification to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The former Ampem Darkoa Ladies player, who now plays for FC Juarez in the Mexican Women’s Premier League, has lauded the Ghana Football Association(GFA) for taking the initiative to get the team to play the upcoming high-profile friendly.

Japan are currently in the top 10 of the global ranking and will be the Queens' first high-profile game in a long while.

Asantewaa joined her teammates in Japan on Monday, 8th July, and has been speaking to the Black Queens Media after the team’s first training session in Kanazawa.

"This game will help in our rebuilding process and will take us to a higher level. Japan is ranked 7th in the World and also qualified for the Olympics, so this should tell you they are a great team," she said.

"I believe the game will be a good exercise for me as an individual and for us, collectively, as a team."

"We are thankful to the GFA; the journey to Japan has been a smooth one and our first training session over here was very successful. We are happy with the culture here and ready for match day", added the pivotal midfielder."

The game is scheduled for Saturday, July 13, 2024, at the Go Go Kanazawa Stadium in Kanazawa.