The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has ordered the WAFU Zone B qualifying final for the 2026 CAF Women's Champions League to resume from extra time. The decision follows a protest by Ghana's Ampem Darkoa Ladies against Edo Queens' 4-1 penalty shootout win. CAF's Organising Committee for Women's Football ruled that the match, which finished 2-2 after 90 minutes, was not played according to regulations. Instead of proceeding to extra time, the teams went directly to a penalty shootout.
The match was played on September 5 at the 4th of August Stadium in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. CAF found that the referee and match officials had been reminded before the match that extra time was required if the score remained level after 90 minutes. However, during the second half, the referee was instructed to proceed directly to penalties if the match ended in a draw. CAF stated that this procedure was contrary to the regulations governing the competition.
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) filed a formal protest with CAF and WAFU Zone B on September 7, within 48 hours of the match. Ampem Darkoa Ladies argued that going directly to penalties after the 2-2 draw breached Articles 13.1 and 72.4 of the CAF Women's Champions League Regulations. The club requested that the final be replayed in full or that the match resume from the end of regular time, with extra time played before a fresh penalty shootout.
CAF considered three possible outcomes: upholding the penalty shootout, ordering a complete replay, or resuming the match from the beginning of extra time. The Committee rejected confirming the 4-1 penalty result, citing that it would validate a method of determining the winner that was expressly contrary to Article 72.4. A complete replay was also rejected, as the first 90 minutes had been validly played.
CAF ultimately decided to resume the match from the beginning of extra time, preserving the valid result of the 90 minutes while correcting the regulatory breach. The Committee described this remedy as "the most proportionate, equitable and sporting remedy" because it corrects the violation without cancelling the 90 minutes already played and without attributing fault to either club.
The decision declared the GFA protest admissible and upheld it on its merits. CAF expressly annulled the penalty shootout and its result, stating that it "shall have no sporting effect." The match will now resume from the beginning of extra time, with the score standing at 2-2.
CAF's decision applies to the zonal qualifying competition, citing that Article 13.1 extends the relevant technical criteria of the final tournament to zonal qualifying tournaments. The Committee determined that the direct recourse to kicks from the penalty mark after regular time was inconsistent with Article 72.4, which mandates extra time to be played before penalties can be used to determine the winner.
Key points
- CAF annuls Edo Queens' 4-1 penalty shootout win over Ampem Darkoa Ladies.
- The WAFU B final will resume from the beginning of extra time, with the score at 2-2.
- CAF cites breach of regulations in its decision, specifically Articles 13.1 and 72.4.
