The 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League will be played from 1 to 15 November, with eight clubs due to compete for the continental title.
The Confederation of African Football confirmed the dates following a virtual meeting of its Executive Committee chaired by president Patrice Motsepe on Friday, 2 October 2026.
However, while the schedule for the tournament has been settled, the identity of one of the eight participants remains unclear because of a dispute over the final of the WAFU B qualifying competition.
The tournament will feature clubs that have earned their places through the various zonal qualification competitions across Africa.
Defending champions AS FAR of Morocco will be among the leading contenders when the competition begins. The Moroccan club will attempt to retain the title after establishing itself as one of the continent’s leading women’s teams in recent years.
Several other clubs have already secured their places in the final tournament.
South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns, Mali’s USFAS Bamako, Uganda’s Kawempe Muslim Ladies, Cameroon’s Leki FF and Morocco’s FUS Rabat are among the teams confirmed to take part.
Further qualification will determine the remaining places in the eight-team competition.
But one of those positions has become the subject of an unresolved dispute involving Ghana’s Ampem Darkoa and Nigeria’s Edo Queens.
Edo Queens initially emerged as winners of the WAFU B final after prevailing in a penalty shootout against Ampem Darkoa.
CAF subsequently intervened after determining that the match had not been completed in accordance with the required regulations.
The governing body ruled that the mandatory 30 minutes of extra time should have been played before the penalty shootout. Because that procedure was not followed, CAF decided that the original outcome could not stand.
The organisation has ordered the match to resume with extra time, with the score level at 2-2.
As a result, the representative from the WAFU B zone for the Women’s Champions League has not yet been established.
The ruling leaves a significant question surrounding the final eight-team line-up, even though CAF has already confirmed when the continental tournament will take place.
For the clubs that have already qualified, preparations can now continue with the dates firmly established. The competition will begin on 1 November and run through to 15 November.
AS FAR will enter the tournament as defending champions and will be seeking another successful campaign as they attempt to maintain their position among Africa’s leading women’s clubs.
Mamelodi Sundowns will also provide significant continental experience, while USFAS Bamako, Kawempe Muslim Ladies, Leki FF and FUS Rabat have all secured their places through the qualification process.
The remaining qualification places will complete the field, but the WAFU B position will depend on the outcome of the resumed contest between Ampem Darkoa and Edo Queens.
The unusual circumstances surrounding the regional final have therefore created uncertainty just weeks before the continental tournament is due to begin.
Edo Queens had appeared to have settled the qualification contest by winning the penalty shootout, but CAF’s subsequent ruling has reopened the battle.
The match will now continue from extra time with the score at 2-2, meaning the eventual WAFU B representative will only be known once that contest has been resolved.
CAF’s decision has therefore produced a situation in which the dates for the Women’s Champions League are confirmed but the complete list of participating clubs is not.
The eight-team tournament will ultimately bring together the leading clubs that have emerged from Africa’s zonal competitions, with the teams competing for the continent’s top women’s club prize.
For now, attention will focus on the unresolved WAFU B final, while the already qualified clubs prepare for the November tournament.
The Women’s Champions League will begin on 1 November, but one important piece of the competition’s line-up remains dependent on the outcome of a match that CAF has ordered to continue from extra time.
