FRISCO, Texas (April 24, 2025) – North Texas SC midfielder Aaron Essel has been called up to the Ghana U20 Men’s Youth National team for the 2025 African U20 Cup of Nations tournament from April 26 to May 18, 2025, in Cairo, Egypt.
Essel made his debut for North Texas SC against Colorado Rapids 2 as a substitute in the 63rd minute. Essel is currently on loan from St. Johnstone FC in the Scottish Premier League.
From 2022 to 2025, he made six appearances for Ghana. On March 20, 2025, he captained the his country in an international friendly against Morocco's U20 side. Essel also played for the Ghana U23 national team during the 2023 Africa U23 Cup of Nations.
Ghana will open the group stage against the Democratic Republic of the Congo on May 2, followed by the Central African Republic on May 5, and Senegal on May 8. The top four teams from the tournament will qualify for the 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile later this year.
