Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire, is once again set to host some of West Africa’s finest women’s football clubs as the CAF Women’s Champions League WAFU B qualifiers return from August 23 to September 5.
Seven teams will battle for a single ticket to the continent’s biggest women’s club competition, a tournament long defined by the Nigeria–Ghana rivalry.
Since 2021, the two heavyweights have traded dominance. Ghana’s Hasaacas Ladies won the inaugural title in Abidjan before reaching the CAF Women’s Champions League final. The following year, Bayelsa Queens rose in Yamoussoukro, claiming the WAFU B crown and later finishing third at the continental finals, the best performance yet by a Nigerian side. In 2023, Ampem Darkoa Ladies struck back for Ghana, powered by teenage sensation Mary Amponsah, before Edo Queens restored Nigeria’s grip in 2024 with a commanding 3–0 victory over Benin’s Ainonvi.
This year, Nigeria’s Bayelsa Queens arrive as newly crowned NWFL Premiership champions. The Prosperity Girls have bolstered their attack with Emem Peace Essien, last season’s top scorer in the WAFU B qualifiers with Edo Queens, whose goals could prove decisive in their bid to reclaim the trophy.
For Ghana, Police Ladies carry the nation’s hopes after dethroning Ampem Darkoa in the league. Their mission is clear: wrestle back control of WAFU Zone B and return Ghana to the continental stage.
Hosts ASEC Mimosas will lean on tradition and home support at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium, while Ainonvi, surprise finalists in 2024, look to extend their giant-killing run. Burkina Faso’s USFA, Niger’s AS GNN, and Togo’s ASKO Kara round out the line-up, each targeting a breakthrough in a competition historically ruled by Nigeria and Ghana.
The action begins with group matches before the semi-finals on September 2 and the final on September 5. With only the champion advancing, every game will carry knockout intensity.
Bayelsa Queens return stronger, Police Ladies enter with fresh ambition, and underdogs like Ainonvi look ready to disrupt the hierarchy. With the new FIFA Women’s Champions Cup awaiting the CAF Women’s Champions League winners, the stakes in Yamoussoukro have never been higher.
