Nigeria’s Edo Queens
* The winner will join seven other qualified teams.
* Extra 30 minutes will be played on a neutral ground in Cairo.
Nigeria’s Edo Queens and Ghana’s Ampem Darkoa will tomorrow in Cairo, Egypt compete for the West African Football Union (WAFU B) representative’s slot following the disputed regional final last month.
At the WAFU B final in Burkina Faso, Edo Queens defeated the Ghanaian Ladies 4-1 in penalty shootouts. Regulation time had ended 2-2 before the penalty shootouts.
However, the Ghanaians filed a protest against the penalty shootouts, insisting that the rule of the competition provided 30 minutes extra time which the match officials ignored and went into the spot kicks.
CAF ruled in favour of the Ghanaians and ordered for the extra 30 minutes be played on a neutral ground. Edo’s objection not to replay after winning the final failed. CAF’s Disciplinary and Appeals Board upheld Ampe Darkoa’s protest.
Edo Queens left Nigeria since Monday to prepare ahead of Thursday’s clash with the Ghanaian top women’s team.
In the schedule for the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League released yesterday by the continental body, the winner will join seven other qualified teams, including defending champions AS FAR of Morocco, South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns, Uganda’s Kawempe Muslim Ladies, Mali’s USFAS Bamako, Morocco’s FUS Rabat, Cameroon’s Lekie Football Girls and Egypt’s FC Masar.
The group-stage matches will take place from November 1 to 8, with the semi-finals scheduled for November 11, the third-place match on November 14 and the final on November 15.
The fixture list confirms that all kick-off times are in Cairo local time, with Suez Canal Stadium in Ismailia and Ismailia Stadium hosting matches during the tournament.
The tournament will also carry significant global implications, as the African champions will face North Korean side Naegohyang in the second round of the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup in December.
For Edo Queens, securing the WAFU B ticket would provide another opportunity to represent Nigeria on the continental stage and pursue Africa’s top women’s club honour.
