Edo Queens’ route to the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League will be settled in Cairo rather than Ouagadougou after CAF relocated the unfinished WAFU-B qualifying final against Ghanaian club Ampem Darkoa Ladies. The teams will face each other in Egypt’s capital on Thursday, October 29, competing for a place in Africa’s leading women’s club competition.

The final had initially been set for October 24 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, but will now restart at the beginning of extra time with the match locked at 2-2. The sides will play two 15-minute extra-time halves, with a penalty shoot-out to follow if there is still no winner. CAF has confirmed that a new set of officials, rather than those involved in the initial match, will oversee the resumption.

The successful team will claim the WAFU-B berth in Group B of the Champions League, to be staged in Cairo between November 1 and 15. They will join Morocco’s AS FAR, Mali’s USFAS Bamako and Uganda’s Kawempe Muslim Ladies. With the group stage beginning only days after the qualifying decider, and in the same city, the winners will have limited opportunity to rest before beginning their continental campaign.

The change of venue is the latest development in an extraordinary qualifying final. Edo Queens and Ampem Darkoa finished 2-2 after normal time in Ouagadougou on September 5, before the Nigerian side won the shoot-out 4-1 and initially believed they had booked the WAFU-B place. However, Ampem Darkoa lodged a complaint, maintaining that 30 minutes of extra time should have been played before penalties were taken.

CAF’s Organising Committee for Women’s Football accepted the Ghanaian club’s complaint on September 26 and voided the penalty shoot-out. The Nigeria Football Federation then contested the decision, arguing that Edo Queens should not be punished for a procedural failure because the club did not organise the fixture or decide how the appointed officials implemented the regulations. The team had acted on the directions given by the match officials.

CAF’s Appeal Board dismissed the NFF’s challenge in a decision issued on October 16. The board ruled that the irregularity from the original proceedings had been addressed after both clubs were given the opportunity to make their submissions, as provided under Article 59(1) of the CAF Disciplinary Code. It ordered the final to continue from the 2-2 scoreline.

Edo Queens general manager Rolandson Odeh said the club had accepted the verdict following discussions with its board, the Edo State Government and the NFF.

“Our mission in Cairo is clear: we want to win and qualify for the CAF Women’s Champions League,” Odeh said. “We have accepted CAF’s ruling for the sake of peace, but our target remains the same. We intend to complete the task and make Nigeria and Edo State proud.”

He added that the squad was highly motivated and confirmed Edo Queens would leave for Cairo on Monday, October 26, allowing time to prepare for the rescheduled contest.

However, the team’s preparations have been complicated by the absence of Oluebube Umejiaku, Oluwakemi Adegbuyi and Precious Oscar, who are with Nigeria’s Flamingos at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco. Other players who featured in the first meeting are also unavailable, requiring the technical staff to revise their plans. Odeh would not reveal how the team would respond, describing selection as a technical issue to be handled in Egypt. “What I can guarantee Nigerians is that Edo Queens will have 11 players on the pitch on matchday,” he said. “We cannot keep focusing on those who are absent; our attention has to be on the players who are available.”

Ampem Darkoa have already demonstrated that they can match Edo Queens, with the 2-2 score from the first game pointing towards another closely fought encounter. The additional 30 minutes will test the fitness and mentality of both squads, while the possibility of another shoot-out means concentration will be vital until the final kick.

For Edo Queens, a win would offer competitive redemption and send them back onto the African stage for a second time since 2024. Ampem Darkoa, meanwhile, could convert their successful protest into Champions League qualification. The final verdict will now come in Cairo.