Nigeria queens Edo Queens land in Abidjan for WAFU-B Women’s Champions League

By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde

Nigeria champions Edo Queens have arrived in Cote D’Ivoire, the host country of the 2024 West Africa Zone B (WAFU-B) Women’s Champions League.

The team departed Nigeria on Friday for the continental assignment which will determine their participation at the fourth edition of the CAF Women’s Champions League.

With a day before their opening group game against AS Garde Nationale (Niger Republic), the Benin City-based side has 24 hours to recover for their curtain raiser.

Moses Aduku’s side won their maiden Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) Premiership title ahead of Rivers Angels in Yenegoa, Bayelsa state capital.

After their opening match against the Nigerien champions, they will face former WAFU-B winners, Hasaacas Ladies on August 14.

On August 17, Edo Queens will wrap up their group campaign against Omnisports Etincelle (Burkina Faso).

Since the inception of the WAFU-B Women’s Champions League and, by extension, the CAF Women’s Champions League, there have been four different representatives from Nigeria at the tournament.

Rivers Angels were the first Nigerian team to make it to the WAFU-B Women’s Champions League and the main tournament in 2021.

Bayelsa Queens became the first team from Nigeria to win the WAFU-B Women’s Champions League title and finished third at the main tournament in 2022.

The feat made them the most successful Nigerian side on the continent.

In 2023, Delta Queens reached the final of the WAFU-B Women’s Champions League in Benin City, Edo State capital, but faltered to Ampem Darkoa (Ghana), which ensured that they would not qualify for the main tournament.

The winner of the 2024 WAFU-B Women’s Champions League will qualify for this year’s CAF Women’s Champions League.