By Africalivenews
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed that the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League will be played from November 1 to 15, with eight clubs set to compete for the continental title.
The dates were confirmed during a virtual meeting of the CAF Executive Committee chaired by CAF President Patrice Motsepe on Friday, October 2, 2026.
The tournament will bring together eight of the leading women’s clubs on the continent, with the participating teams earning their places through the various zonal qualifying competitions.
Defending champions AS FAR of Morocco will be among the main contenders as they seek to retain the title and strengthen their position as one of the most successful forces in African women’s club football.
AS FAR have established themselves as a dominant team in the competition and will enter the 2026 tournament with the confidence that comes with being the reigning champions.
South Africa will be represented by Mamelodi Sundowns, another club with significant experience at the continental level.
Mamelodi Sundowns have been one of the strongest sides in African women’s football in recent years and will be looking to challenge for the title when the tournament gets underway in November.
Other clubs already confirmed for the competition include USFAS Bamako of Mali, Kawempe Muslim Ladies of Uganda, Lekié FF of Cameroon and FUS Rabat of Morocco.
The remaining qualification places will be filled once the outstanding zonal qualification processes are concluded.
However, one of the most closely watched qualification battles remains unresolved following a controversial decision involving Ghana’s Ampem Darkoa and Nigeria’s Edo Queens in the WAFU B zone.
Edo Queens had initially emerged as regional champions after defeating Ampem Darkoa on penalties in the final.
The result appeared to have secured Edo Queens a place in the Women’s Champions League final tournament.
However, CAF subsequently intervened after determining that the match had not been completed in accordance with the required competition regulations.
According to CAF’s decision, the mandatory 30 minutes of extra time should have been played before the penalty shootout.
Because the additional period was not played, CAF ruled that the match had not followed the prescribed procedure.
The governing body has consequently ordered the match to resume from extra time, with the score tied at 2-2.
The decision has left the WAFU B qualification spot unresolved and means neither Ampem Darkoa nor Edo Queens can yet be confirmed as the region’s representative at the continental tournament.
The unusual development has attracted significant attention, particularly because both clubs remain in contention for one of the eight places at the final tournament.
For Ampem Darkoa, the decision provides another opportunity to secure qualification after the Ghanaian champions initially appeared to have lost the regional final on penalties.
Edo Queens, meanwhile, will have to complete the remaining stages of the match if they are to retain their advantage in the qualification battle.
The situation also highlights the importance of ensuring that competition regulations are followed throughout regional qualifying tournaments, particularly when qualification for a major continental competition is at stake.
Despite the unresolved WAFU B qualification, CAF has proceeded with preparations for the final tournament and confirmed the November 1 to 15 dates.
The eight-team competition will provide another major platform for the development and promotion of women’s football across Africa.
The CAF Women’s Champions League has grown in importance since its introduction, giving the continent’s top women’s clubs an opportunity to compete against one another and showcase the growing quality of women’s football.
The tournament also provides players with valuable international experience while offering clubs an opportunity to gain greater continental exposure.
With defending champions AS FAR returning to defend their crown and established clubs such as Mamelodi Sundowns also in the field, the 2026 edition is expected to attract considerable interest from football supporters across the continent.
The remaining qualification decisions will determine the final composition of the eight-team tournament.
For now, CAF has confirmed the dates and several of the participating clubs, but the final WAFU B representative remains dependent on the outcome of the ordered continuation between Ampem Darkoa and Edo Queens.
The continental governing body is expected to provide further updates once the outstanding qualification process has been completed.
With the tournament scheduled for November, attention will now turn to the final preparations and the conclusion of the remaining qualification battle.
The 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League promises to bring together some of the continent’s strongest women’s clubs, with the eventual winner set to claim the prestigious African crown.
