Ghanaian champions Ampem Darkoa Ladies have secured qualification for the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League in Egypt after defeating Nigeria’s Edo Queens in extra time in Cairo on Thursday.
Afishata Mohammed scored the decisive goal as Ampem Darkoa capitalised on a second chance to win the fiercely contested encounter and book their place in the eight-team continental competition, scheduled for November 1–15.
The victory followed a successful appeal by the Ghanaian club over the procedure used to determine the winner of the WAFU Zone B qualifying final in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
Edo Queens had initially been declared winners after the match ended 2–2 in regulation time, with the Nigerian champions prevailing in the ensuing penalty shootout.
Ampem Darkoa, however, challenged the outcome, arguing that the competition regulations required extra time to be played before a penalty shootout could determine the winner.
Following the appeal to the Confederation of African Football (CAF), both teams were instructed to resume the encounter from the start of extra time in Cairo on Thursday.
With their continental ambitions at stake, the Ghanaian side seized the opportunity, with Mohammed finding the decisive goal to end Edo Queens’ hopes of qualifying for the tournament.
Ampem Darkoa will now represent Ghana at the continental showpiece, joining defending champions AS FAR of Morocco, Kawempe Muslim Ladies of Uganda and USFAS Bamako of Mali in Group B.
The Ghanaian champions are scheduled to begin their group-stage campaign against USFAS Bamako on November 2 as they seek to establish themselves among Africa’s leading women’s clubs.
For Edo Queens, the defeat marks a painful end to a qualification campaign that had appeared to secure them a place in the continental competition following their initial penalty-shootout victory.
The outcome also highlights the importance of adhering to competition regulations, as the dispute over the qualifying final ultimately determined which club would represent West Africa at the tournament.
Additional report from Sportsvillagesquare
