From Kenechukwu Obiajuru, Yenagoa
Nigeria Women’s Football League champions, Bayelsa Queens, will kick off their quest for a second continental appearance at the 2025 CAF Women’s Champions League through the WAFU B zonal qualifiers, scheduled to hold in Ivory Coast from August 9 to 24, 2025.
The West Africa Football Union Zone B (WAFU B) confirmed the official date and venue for the fifth edition of the regional qualifiers in a statement published by the Ghana Football Association (GFA).
According to the statement from the WAFU B Secretariat, “The West Africa Football Union Zone B has officially announced the date and venue for the 2025 WAFU B Women’s Champions League qualifying tournament. The tournament will be held in Ivory Coast from Saturday, August 9 to Sunday, August 24, 2025.”
Bayelsa Queens, fondly known as the Prosperity Girls, will become the first Nigerian club to make a second appearance at the WAFU B qualifiers. They made their debut in 2022, winning the tournament after a 3–1 victory over Burkina Faso’s US Forces Armées in the final. The team went on to record a historic third-place finish at the CAF Women’s Champions League finals in Morocco—the best performance by any Nigerian team in the competition’s history.
The Yenagoa-based side qualified for this year’s regional competition as champions of the 2024/2025 Nigeria Women’s Football League Premiership Super Six Playoffs, capping a dominant campaign under head coach Whyte Ogbonda.
The WAFU B zonal qualifiers serve as the gateway to the CAF Women’s Champions League final tournament, with only the overall winner from the region securing qualification.
Meanwhile, Edo Queens are the reigning WAFU B champions, having defeated Benin Republic’s Ainonvi FC 3–0 in the 2024 final, also hosted in Ivory Coast. They represented the region at the CAF Women’s Champions League finals in Morocco, where they finished fourth.
This year’s edition marks the fifth installment of the WAFU B Women’s Champions League qualifiers, which continues to provide a crucial platform for West African women’s clubs to compete on the continental stage.
