The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has ordered the WAFU Zone B final for the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League qualifiers to resume from the beginning of extra time. This decision was made after the Ghana Football Association lodged a formal protest on behalf of Ampem Darkoa over the procedure used to determine the winner of the September 5 final in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Edo Queens had won the match 4-1 on penalties after the game ended 2-2 following 90 minutes.
CAF's Organising Committee for Women’s Football ruled that the shootout should not have taken place because the competition regulations required the teams to play two 15-minute periods of extra time before penalties could be used to determine the winner. The committee attributed the omission to an administrative instruction that was inconsistent with the applicable competition regulations. Neither participating club was responsible for the failure to apply the correct procedure.
The final had followed an impressive qualifying campaign from both sides. Edo Queens reached the final after defeating hosts USFA 5-1 in the semi-final, while Ampem Darkoa secured their place in the decider with a 4-1 victory over Benin’s Dynamique FC. The two sides had also met earlier in the group stage, where Ampem Darkoa recorded a 2-1 victory over Edo Queens.
Ampem Darkoa had challenged the procedure shortly after the final, arguing that the decision to go directly to penalties violated Articles 13.1 and 72.4 of the CAF Women’s Champions League Regulations. CAF relied on Article 72.4, which provides for two 15-minute periods of extra time where the final remains level after normal time. Only where the scores remain tied after extra time can the winner be determined through kicks from the penalty mark.
CAF rejected the option of a complete replay, finding that the first 90 minutes had been validly played and that there was no evidence that the procedural error affected the conduct of normal time. The committee chose to preserve the 2-2 result from regulation time and resume the match from the beginning of extra time. This approach allows CAF to correct the regulatory error without invalidating the sporting events that took place during the original 90 minutes.
The continuation will begin with Edo Queens and Ampem Darkoa level at 2-2, with both teams required to play two 15-minute periods of extra time. If the scores remain level after the additional 30 minutes, the winner will then be determined through a fresh penalty shootout. CAF has directed that the same venue and match officials should be used where practically possible.
CAF has also directed that the continuation should, as far as practically and legally possible, be played under the same sporting conditions that existed at the end of the original 90 minutes. The players who were on the pitch at the final whistle, eligible substitutes, disciplinary status, and substitutions already made will be taken into account when the match resumes.
Key points
- CAF has annulled Edo Queens' penalty-shootout victory over Ampem Darkoa Ladies.
- The WAFU Zone B final will resume from the beginning of extra time.
- The match will continue under the same sporting conditions that existed at the end of the original 90 minutes.
