NFF Appeals CAF Ruling as Edo Queens Fight to Retain WAFU-B Crown

Posted : 01 October 2026

The Nigeria Football Federation has appealed the Confederation of African Football’s decision to annul Edo Queens’ penalty-shootout victory over Ghana’s Ampem Darkoa Ladies in the WAFU-B Women’s Champions League qualifying final. The appeal challenges CAF’s September 26 ruling that cancelled Edo Queens’ 4-1 shootout victory and ordered the final to resume from extra time.

The final was played on September 5 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, with both teams level at 2-2 after 90 minutes. Edo Queens then won the penalty shootout 4-1 and were declared WAFU-B champions, earning the West African zone’s qualification ticket for the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League.

However, Ampem Darkoa protested the decision to proceed directly to penalties. CAF subsequently ruled that two 15-minute periods of extra time should have been played before penalties, as required by the competition regulations.

CAF annulled the shootout result but did not order the entire match to be replayed. Instead, the 2-2 scoreline after regulation time remains valid, with the teams required to play 30 minutes of extra time before another penalty shootout if the scores remain level.

The NFF’s appeal focuses on the sporting consequences of the error. The federation argues that Edo Queens did not cause or request the omission of extra time and simply followed the match officials’ instruction to proceed to penalties.

The Nigerian federation is asking the CAF Appeals Committee to reconsider whether cancelling the completed shootout is the appropriate remedy. It argues that the players should not be held responsible for an administrative or officiating error that was outside their control.

CAF’s decision reportedly attributed the failure to play extra time to an erroneous administrative instruction and found that neither Edo Queens nor Ampem Darkoa was responsible. The referee was also considered to have acted in good faith.

The NFF further argues that Edo Queens’ victory cannot retrospectively make the players responsible for the procedural error simply because they benefited from the shootout. It wants the Appeals Committee to distinguish between confirming that a regulation was breached and determining the sporting consequence of that breach.

The stakes remain significant for both clubs. The eventual winner of the resumed final will claim the WAFU Zone B qualification place at the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League, leaving the regional title and continental ticket unresolved.

Edo Queens had produced a strong campaign before the disputed final. They defeated USFA 5-1 in the semi-final, while Doosuur Anastasia Atume finished the tournament with four goals and five assists and received the Golden Boot.

The CAF Appeals Committee will now consider the NFF’s challenge. Until the appeal is determined and the final is resolved, Edo Queens’ WAFU-B title and the zone’s Champions League qualification place remain unsettled.

NFF Appeals CAF Ruling as Edo Queens Fight to Retain WAFU-B Crown

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