Edo Queens Lose WAFU-B Title to Ampem Darkoa After CAF-Ordered Final Resumption
Ampem Darkoa Ladies scored in the 92nd minute to secure a 3-2 extra-time victory in Cairo, ending Edo Queens’ hopes of qualifying for the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League.
Ghanaian side Ampem Darkoa Ladies have secured the WAFU-B qualifying title for the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League after defeating Nigeria’s Edo Queens 3-2 following extra time in Cairo, Egypt, on Thursday.
Mohammed Afishata scored the decisive goal in the 92nd minute, settling a final that had remained unresolved since September and securing Ampem Darkoa’s place in the continental competition.
For Edo Queens, the defeat brings a disappointing end to their campaign after they were initially declared winners following a penalty shootout in the original meeting between the teams.
How the Final Took a Different Turn
The two clubs first faced each other on September 5, 2026, at the 4th of August Stadium in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
The match ended 2-2 after 90 minutes, but the officials proceeded directly to penalties without playing the required two 15-minute periods of extra time. Edo Queens won the shootout 4-1 and were declared champions.
Ampem Darkoa subsequently challenged the procedure through the Ghana Football Association, arguing that the competition regulations required extra time before penalties.
On September 26, CAF’s Organising Committee for Women’s Football upheld the protest, ruling that proceeding directly to a penalty shootout breached the applicable regulations.
However, CAF did not order the entire match to be replayed. Instead, it annulled the penalty shootout result and directed that the contest resume from the beginning of extra time, with the score remaining 2-2 from regulation time.
Afishata Delivers the Decisive Blow
The outstanding extra time was scheduled for October 29 in Cairo, where both teams returned to determine the regional representative for the continental tournament.
Ampem Darkoa took their opportunity, with Afishata finding the net in the 92nd minute to give the Ghanaian side a 3-2 victory after extra time.
The result confirmed Ampem Darkoa as WAFU-B champions and ended Edo Queens’ hopes of progressing to the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League.
The outcome also completed the process initiated by Ampem Darkoa’s protest, following the administrative error that led to extra time being omitted from the original final.
Ampem Darkoa Set for CAF Women’s Champions League
Ampem Darkoa will represent the WAFU-B zone at the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League, scheduled to take place in Egypt from November 1 to 15.
The Ghanaian club has been drawn in Group B alongside Morocco’s AS FAR, Uganda’s Kawempe Muslim Ladies and Mali’s USFAS Bamako.
The tournament will mark Ampem Darkoa’s second appearance in the competition, following their debut in 2023 in Côte d’Ivoire.
Having settled the regional final with their extra-time victory, the Ghanaian side will now turn its attention to the continental tournament, while Edo Queens are left to reflect on a campaign that ended in defeat after the final was ordered to resume.
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