In a stunning reversal of fortune, Nigeria’s Edo Queens have seen their hopes of playing in the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League shattered after Ghana’s Ampem Darkoa Ladies secured a dramatic 3-2 victory in the rescheduled WAFU Zone B qualifying final in Cairo, Egypt, on Thursday, October 29, Sports247.ng reports.
What makes the defeat particularly painful is that Edo Queens had already celebrated winning the regional title after a 4-1 penalty shootout victory over their Ghanaian opponents in September, only for the result to be overturned by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
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Thursday’s extraordinary conclusion brought an end to a qualification dispute that had dragged on for nearly two months, transforming what initially appeared to be a historic success for the Nigerian side into a devastating continental setback.
The original final, played on September 5 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, ended 2-2 after regulation time. Edo Queens subsequently won the shootout 4-1, seemingly securing their place at Africa’s premier women’s club competition.
However, Ampem Darkoa protested the decision to proceed directly to penalties without playing the mandatory 30 minutes of extra time.
CAF upheld the protest on September 26, ruling that the match officials had failed to follow the competition regulations. The governing body subsequently annulled the shootout result, while its Appeal Board upheld that decision on October 16.
Consequently, both teams were ordered to reconvene in Cairo to play only the outstanding 30 minutes, beginning with the score locked at 2-2.
Ampem Darkoa made their second opportunity count, scoring the decisive goal to claim a 3-2 victory and secure the WAFU Zone B qualification ticket.
The result means the Ghanaian champions will compete in the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League, scheduled to take place in Egypt from November 1 to 15.
They are expected to join Moroccan giants AS FAR, Mali’s USFAS Bamako and Uganda’s Kawempe Muslim Ladies in Group B.
For Edo Queens, the defeat represents a particularly bitter elimination, having initially secured qualification on the pitch before a procedural error by match officials reopened the contest.
For Ampem Darkoa, meanwhile, the result completes a remarkable turnaround, vindicating their decision to challenge the original outcome and earning them a return to Africa’s elite women’s club competition.
