Edo Queens did not leave Ouagadougou with only a place in the CAF Women’s Champions League.
They left with the regional crown, the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball.
The Nigerian champions defeated Ghana’s Ampem Darkoa Ladies 4-1 on penalties after a 2-2 draw to win the WAFU B Women’s Champions League qualifying tournament and secure their place in the continental finals.
The final demanded a response from Edo Queens twice.
Berline Nyarko gave Ampem Darkoa an early lead before Dooshima Tarnum restored parity ahead of half-time. Nyarko struck again from the penalty spot after the break, but substitute Oluebube Umejiaku found a late equaliser to force the contest to penalties. Edo Queens then took control of the shootout, winning 4-1.
That comeback carried extra weight because Ampem Darkoa had already beaten Edo Queens 2-1 in the group stage, inflicting the Nigerian side’s only defeat of the competition. With the title and continental qualification on the line in the rematch, Edo Queens reversed the result that had previously stopped them.
But their grip on the tournament went beyond the trophy.
CAF confirmed Doosuur Anastasia Atume as the Golden Boot winner after she finished with four goals and five assists, while 16-year-old teammate Oluwakemi Adegbuyi was named the competition’s best player and received the Golden Ball.
That gave Edo Queens a powerful final statement: they won the decisive match and supplied two of the competition’s standout performers.
Their attacking strength had been visible throughout the tournament. Edo Queens opened with a 7-0 victory over AS GNN, followed with a 3-1 win over ASEC Mimosas and later overwhelmed hosts USFA 5-1 in the semi-final.
The one blemish was the group-stage defeat to Ampem Darkoa.
The response came when it mattered most.
CAF now lists Edo Queens among the qualified teams for the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League, giving Nigeria another major continental club platform and extending a tournament run built on goals, resilience and individual quality.
For Nigerian women’s football, this was more than another regional trophy.
It was continental qualification, revenge against the only side that had beaten them, and two Nigerian players walking away with the tournament’s biggest individual prizes.
Edo Queens went to WAFU B chasing a ticket.
They left owning the podium.
Cranse Sports
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