Ghanaian side Ampem Darkoa Ladies defeated Nigeria’s Edo Queens 3-2 after extra time on Thursday, October 29, to claim the West African qualifying spot for the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League.
The decisive encounter, which resumed in Cairo, Egypt, followed weeks of controversy over the handling of the original final played in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on September 5.
That match ended 2-2 after regulation time, but officials proceeded straight to a penalty shoot-out without playing extra time.
Edo Queens won the shoot-out 4-1 and initially celebrated their qualification for the continental competition.
Ampem Darkoa, however, challenged the decision, arguing that the tournament regulations, including Article 72.4, required two 15-minute periods of extra time before penalties could be taken.
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The Confederation of African Football (CAF) Organising Committee for Women’s Football ruled in favour of the Ghanaian club on September 26, annulling the penalty shoot-out result and ordering the match to resume from the beginning of extra time with the score still level at 2-2.
The CAF Appeal Board upheld that ruling on October 16, paving the way for the match to continue under different officials in Cairo.
Ampem Darkoa made the most of the second chance, scoring the winning goal just two minutes into the first period of extra time from a corner kick to seal a 3-2 victory.
The win confirms the Ghanaian club as the representative of the WAFU Zone B region at the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League, scheduled to run from November 1 to 15.
Ampem Darkoa will compete in Group B alongside Morocco’s AS FAR, Mali’s USFAS Bamako and Uganda’s Kawempe Muslim Ladies.
For Edo Queens, the defeat ends their continental campaign after they had initially celebrated winning the regional title and securing qualification following the September shoot-out.