CAF annulled the September penalty win after a protest, and the Ghanaian champions took the Zone B ticket by winning the resumed final 3-2 in Cairo.
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Edo Queens have lost their place at the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League after Ghana’s Ampem Darkoa Ladies won the rescheduled WAFU Zone B qualifying final 3-2 in Cairo, Egypt, on Thursday, October 29. The result ends a dispute that had dragged on for nearly two months.
Edo Queens had already celebrated winning the regional title after beating Ampem Darkoa 4-1 on penalties on September 5 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The final had ended 2-2 after 90 minutes, with Dooshima Tarnum and Rose Umejiaku scoring for the Nigerian champions.
Ampem Darkoa protested the decision to go straight to penalties. Beline Nyarkoh scored twice for the Ghanaian side in regulation time, and the club argued the rules required extra time first.
CAF upheld the protest on September 26, ruling that the shootout breached its Women’s Champions League regulations. Fans curious about promotions can read how Bet9ja referral rewards work while they follow the story.
How the Ruling Unfolded
The regulations say a drawn final must go to two 15-minute periods of extra time before penalties. CAF said the failure to play extra time came from an erroneous administrative instruction, and it did not blame either club.
CAF refused Ampem Darkoa’s request for a full replay. It decided the original 90 minutes stood, so the match restarted from the beginning of extra time at 2-2.
The Nigeria Football Federation appealed the decision, but the CAF Appeal Board upheld it on October 16. Edo Queens then accepted the ruling and travelled to Cairo to complete the tie.
Was the ruling fair? Edo Queens had done nothing wrong on the pitch, yet they paid the price for an error that CAF itself admitted. Readers who follow women’s football can also grab YOHAIG perks for new bettors before the next round of games.
A Costly Thirty Minutes
Ampem Darkoa made their second chance count in Cairo. They scored the only goal of the extra 30 minutes to win 3-2.
The result gives Ampem Darkoa the WAFU Zone B ticket to the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League in Egypt, which runs from November 1 to 15. Ghana had been set to miss the competition for a third season running before the ruling.
Ampem Darkoa are expected to join AS FAR of Morocco, USFAS Bamako of Mali and Kawempe Muslim Ladies of Uganda in Group B, according to reports.
For Edo Queens, the loss is hard to take after a season in which they won the regional title on the pitch. Readers can also check this Bet9ja bonus rules summary before the next fixtures.
The tournament will be played in Ismailia, at the Suez Canal Stadium and the Ismailia Stadium.
For Nigerian football, the episode leaves a lesson about administration at continental events. The NFF will hope such a mistake never costs a club again.
📌 Did You Know?
- Ampem Darkoa beat Edo Queens 2-1 in the group stage of the same tournament, with Milot Pokuaa scoring the winner.
- Ampem Darkoa beat FC Dynamique of Benin 4-1 in the semi-final.
- Edo Queens scored five against hosts USFA of Burkina Faso in their semi-final.
- The September 5 final was played at the August 4 Stadium in Ouagadougou.
- The Ghana Football Association filed the protest on Ampem Darkoa’s behalf.
- CAF cited Articles 13.1 and 72.4 of its Women’s Champions League regulations in its ruling.
