CAF has annulled Edo Queens’ penalty shootout win over Ampem Darkoa Ladies in the WAFU B final of the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League qualifiers and ordered the match to resume from extra time, with the score locked at 2-2. The Nigerian side had won the final in Ouagadougou 4-1 on penalties earlier this month, but the WAFU B ticket to the continental final tournament is now open again.
The ruling came from CAF’s Organising Committee for Women’s Football after the Ghana Football Association protested on behalf of Ampem Darkoa. The committee found that the match went straight to penalties when the competition regulations required two 15-minute periods of extra time first, a breach of Articles 13.1 and 72.4 of the CAF Women’s Champions League Regulations.
CAF Women's Champions League, WAFU B Qualifiers · Final
Resumes from extra time
- Dooshima Tarnum
- Oluebube Umejiaku
- Berline Nyarko 2'
- Berline Nyarko pen
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Why CAF threw out the Edo Queens shootout
CAF placed the blame on the administration of the game rather than on either club. According to the decision, the referee received erroneous administrative instructions during the second half telling the officials to skip extra time, even though both teams and the match officials had earlier been told it would be played. CAF accepted that “the referee acted on that instruction in good faith”, and it made clear that neither Edo Queens nor Ampem Darkoa was responsible for the error.
CAF upheld the Ghanaian club’s protest but stopped short of ordering a full replay. The committee ruled that the 90 minutes already played remain valid, so Edo Queens keep the 2-2 scoreline they fought back to earn. CAF explained that “resuming the match from the beginning of extra time preserves the valid sporting outcome of the ninety minutes already played while restoring the omitted regulatory stage.”
The Ghanaian side had struck first when Berline Nyarko scored in the second minute, and Nyarko later added a penalty in the second half. Dooshima Tarnum levelled before the break and Oluebube Umejiaku scored late in the second half to force the draw, according to CAF’s own report of the final. Edo Queens had reached that stage after a 5-1 semi-final win over hosts USFA.
How the resumed WAFU B final will work
The game restarts at the beginning of extra time with two 15-minute periods. If the teams are still level after 30 minutes, a fresh penalty shootout will decide the winner. CAF wants the conditions of the original match carried over as closely as possible, which means the players who were on the pitch at the final whistle, the substitutions each side still had available and the disciplinary records from the first 90 minutes all stand.
| Restart point | Start of extra time, 2-2 |
|---|---|
| Extra time | Two 15-minute periods |
| If still level | New penalty shootout |
| Squads | Players on the pitch, remaining substitutions and cards carried over |
| Venue and officials | Same as the original final where possible |
| Date and kick-off | Not confirmed |
WAFU B has been told to announce the date, kick-off time and venue in consultation with CAF and the two national federations, and the same venue and match officials are to be used where possible. As of Tuesday morning, no date had been confirmed, and neither Edo Queens nor the NFF had publicly responded to the decision. The Ghana FA has published its account of the ruling after the protest it lodged on the club’s behalf.
A Champions League place is back on the line for Nigeria
The stakes are high for Nigerian women’s club football. The WAFU B winner joins an eight-team final tournament made up of defending champions AS FAR, the six zonal winners and a host representative. Edo Queens, who had already celebrated qualification, now have to win the same final a second time to secure Nigeria’s place in that field.
The Benin City club will be preparing for a 30-minute contest that could come weeks after the original game, and both coaches will have to manage the fact that they can only use the players and substitutions left from the first 90 minutes. The case lands in a busy month for Nigerian women’s football, which has also seen the Flamingos winning the WAFU B U17 Girls Cup and the national team adjusting to life after Osinachi Ohale’s retirement from the Super Falcons. SportCabal will publish the date and venue of the resumed final once WAFU B confirms them.
