By Iroyin Yoruba Television
The Confederation of African Football has annulled Edo Queens’ 4-1 penalty-shootout victory over Ghanaian side Ampem Darkoa Ladies in the final of the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League WAFU Zone B qualifying tournament.
The decision means the Nigerian champions’ previously recorded victory no longer determines the WAFU-B representative for the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League final tournament.
Instead, CAF has ordered the final to resume from the beginning of extra time with the score still tied at 2-2.
The ruling follows a protest submitted by Ampem Darkoa after the September 5 final in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, ended level after 90 minutes and proceeded directly to a penalty shootout.
Edo Queens won that shootout 4-1 and were initially declared WAFU-B champions.
CAF’s Organising Committee for Women’s Football subsequently reviewed the circumstances surrounding the final and determined that the required extra time had not been played.
WHY CAF CANCELLED THE PENALTY SHOOTOUT
The central issue in the dispute was the procedure used after the final finished 2-2 following regulation time.
Under the applicable competition regulations, a drawn final should proceed to two 15-minute periods of extra time before penalties are used to determine the winner.
That procedure was not followed in the September 5 encounter.
Instead, the two teams went directly from the 2-2 scoreline after 90 minutes to penalties, where Edo Queens prevailed 4-1.
Ampem Darkoa subsequently challenged the procedure through a formal protest.
CAF's Organising Committee for Women’s Football upheld the protest and ruled that the penalty shootout should not have taken place at that stage of the match.
The decision does not invalidate the 90 minutes that were already played. The 2-2 scoreline remains the starting point for the continuation of the final.
FINAL TO RESUME FROM 2-2
CAF has ordered the match to resume from the beginning of extra time.
The continuation will consist of two 15-minute periods.
If one team scores more goals during extra time, that team will become the winner.
If the scores remain level after the additional 30 minutes, a new penalty shootout will be required to determine the WAFU-B champion.
This means that Edo Queens and Ampem Darkoa will effectively have another opportunity to settle a final that was initially decided by penalties.
The result of the original shootout has no further sporting effect under the new ruling.
The eventual winner will take the WAFU Zone B qualification place for the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League final tournament.
BOTH TEAMS KEEP THE 2-2 SCORELINE
One important aspect of the ruling is that CAF did not order the entire match to be replayed.
The 90 minutes already completed remain valid.
The continuation therefore begins with Edo Queens and Ampem Darkoa level at 2-2.
This preserves the goals and events recorded during regulation time while correcting the procedure used to determine the winner.
The decision also means the teams will not have to restart the final from the first minute.
Instead, they will return to the competition with the match effectively entering the stage that should have followed the 90-minute draw.
HOW THE ORIGINAL FINAL UNFOLDED
The September 5 final produced a closely contested match between the Nigerian and Ghanaian champions.
Ampem Darkoa made an early breakthrough when Beline Nyarko scored in the opening minutes.
Edo Queens responded quickly and restored parity through Doosuur Anastasia Atume.
The match remained closely balanced before Ampem Darkoa regained the lead in the second half.
Nyarko scored again to put the Ghanaian side ahead and move her team closer to the WAFU-B title.
Edo Queens, however, continued to press for an equaliser.
Their efforts eventually produced a late goal from substitute Oluebube Umejiaku, who brought the Nigerian side level and sent the match into what was ultimately an improperly conducted penalty shootout.
Edo Queens then converted four penalties while Ampem Darkoa scored once.
The Nigerian side celebrated what appeared to be a regional title and qualification for the continental tournament.
CAF’s subsequent ruling has now reopened the final.
EDO QUEENS’ CAMPAIGN BEFORE THE FINAL
Edo Queens entered the final after a strong campaign in Burkina Faso.
The Nigerian champions defeated hosts USFA 5-1 in their semi-final to secure their place in the championship match.
Their route to the final demonstrated their attacking strength, with several players contributing goals during the tournament.
The team had also faced Ampem Darkoa earlier in the group stage.
That meeting ended in a 2-1 victory for the Ghanaian club, giving Ampem Darkoa an advantage before the teams met again in the final.
The September 5 championship match therefore represented a second meeting between the two sides during the same tournament.
Edo Queens managed to avoid defeat in the final after twice coming from behind, but the subsequent penalty victory has now been set aside because the required extra-time stage was omitted.
AMPem DARKOA'S PROTEST
Ampem Darkoa's protest focused on the application of the competition regulations rather than the result of the penalty kicks themselves.
The Ghanaian club argued that the final should have proceeded into extra time before any penalty shootout could be conducted.
CAF agreed that the competition regulations required the additional 30 minutes.
The decision therefore addresses the match procedure and does not declare that Edo Queens were responsible for the failure to play extra time.
CAF has ruled that the correct procedure must now be completed on the field.
This gives both teams another opportunity to determine the WAFU-B representative through the process required by the regulations.
SAME SPORTING CONDITIONS TO BE CONSIDERED
CAF has directed that the continuation should, where practically and legally possible, maintain the relevant sporting conditions from the original match.
This includes matters such as player eligibility, disciplinary status and substitutions already made during the first 90 minutes.
The continuation is therefore not being treated as a completely new match.
The teams will resume from the existing 2-2 scoreline, with the match officials and other arrangements to be determined in accordance with the CAF ruling and coordination with the WAFU Zone B authorities.
The details are important because both teams had already completed their tactical substitutions and other match decisions during the original 90 minutes.
NEW DATE AND VENUE STILL TO BE CONFIRMED
The date and kick-off time for the continuation have not been fixed in the ruling itself.
The responsibility for determining and communicating the arrangements rests with WAFU Zone B in coordination with CAF, the Nigeria Football Federation, the Ghana Football Association and the two clubs.
The original final was played at the August 4 Stadium in Ouagadougou.
CAF has indicated that the same venue should be used where practicable, subject to confirmation by the relevant authorities.
The match officials and other logistical arrangements will also have to be coordinated before the continuation takes place.
QUALIFICATION FOR THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE REMAINS OPEN
The ruling has also reopened the question of which club will represent WAFU Zone B at the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League final tournament.
Edo Queens had initially secured that place after the penalty shootout.
With the shootout annulled, neither side currently holds the qualification place on the basis of that result.
The winner of the resumed final will become the WAFU-B representative.
If the match is decided during extra time, the team with the higher score will qualify.
If the teams remain level after 120 minutes, penalties will once again be used, but this time only after the required extra-time periods have been completed.
IMPLICATIONS FOR EDO QUEENS
For Edo Queens, the decision means that the celebrations surrounding their initial victory have been followed by a return to competitive action.
The Nigerian champions must now prepare to play at least another 30 minutes against the same opponent.
The team retains the goals scored during the first 90 minutes and enters the continuation level at 2-2.
Its players will therefore have another opportunity to secure the regional championship and qualification.
The situation also means that the team cannot rely on the previous 4-1 penalty result when considering its continental qualification.
IMPLICATIONS FOR AMPEM DARKOA
Ampem Darkoa, meanwhile, have received the opportunity they sought through their protest.
The Ghanaian side will return to the field with the score level and will have 30 minutes of extra time to compete for the title.
The team had initially led twice during the final but was unable to maintain its advantage after Edo Queens scored a late equaliser.
The continuation provides another chance for the Ghanaian champions to settle the contest under the prescribed competition procedure.
If they win during extra time or prevail in a fresh penalty shootout after extra time, Ampem Darkoa will take the WAFU-B qualification place.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
The immediate next step is for WAFU Zone B to coordinate with CAF and the two football associations to determine when and where the continuation will take place.
The clubs will also need the confirmed match documentation and eligibility information required for the resumption.
The players and technical teams must then prepare for two 15-minute periods of extra time beginning from the 2-2 scoreline.
The eventual winner will represent WAFU Zone B at the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League final tournament.
Until that continuation is played, the regional qualification place remains unresolved.
A RARE REOPENING OF A MAJOR FINAL
The decision has created an unusual situation in which a major regional final that appeared to have produced a champion has been reopened because of a procedural error.
Edo Queens' 4-1 penalty victory initially ended the contest, but CAF's review found that the match had not followed the required sequence for deciding a drawn final.
Rather than ordering the entire match to be replayed, CAF preserved the 90 minutes and instructed the teams to continue from the correct stage.
The result is a final that remains unfinished more than three weeks after the original encounter.
For Edo Queens and Ampem Darkoa, the next meeting will determine the outcome that the September 5 match could not legally establish.
The Nigerian champions will enter the continuation with the score tied at 2-2, while the Ghanaian champions will have the same opportunity to claim the regional title.
The WAFU-B representative for the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League will only be known after the required extra time—and, if necessary, a new penalty shootout—has been completed.