Edo Queens of Nigeria and Ghanaian club Ampem Darkoa Ladies will return to the field in Burkina Faso on Saturday, October 24, to complete their WAFU-B Women’s Champions League final after CAF voided Edo Queens’ 4-1 shootout success. Play will recommence at 2-2 in extra time, with the victor taking the region’s final qualifying place for the continental tournament only days before it starts.
The original final, played on September 5, finished level at 2-2 after regulation time. Rather than proceeding to extra time, the match officials directed both sides immediately into penalties, where Edo Queens prevailed 4-1.
Ampem Darkoa subsequently lodged a complaint through the Ghana Football Association. CAF determined that Articles 13.1 and 72.4 of the competition rules had been violated, as a drawn final must include two 15-minute extra-time periods before a penalty shootout can be used.
The Nigeria Football Federation challenged the decision on Edo Queens’ behalf, maintaining that the players should not be punished for an error by the officials after complying with the referee’s instructions. However, the CAF Appeal Board confirmed that the result would remain annulled.
The contest will now continue with the full 30 minutes of extra time, consisting of two 15-minute halves, beginning with the score at 2-2. Should neither team break the deadlock, a new shootout will determine the WAFU-B entrant. CAF has also ordered that a different set of match officials oversee the resumed final.
The additional half-hour of football will be played only a few days before the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League gets under way in Egypt, giving the eventual qualifier a tight turnaround for preparations.
Egypt will host the tournament for a second consecutive year and for the third occasion overall, having also staged the inaugural competition in 2021.
Current champions AS FAR have booked their place, as have fellow Moroccan representatives FUS Rabat, South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns, Uganda’s Kawempe Muslim, Cameroon’s Lekié FF and Mali’s USFAS.
The final two positions will be filled by Egypt’s host-country representative and the winner of the replayed Edo Queens-Ampem Darkoa final.
AS FAR head into the competition as reigning champions after lifting the 2025 trophy, while Sundowns, winners in 2021 and 2023, are aiming to claim the African title for a third time.
