The Charles Konan Banny Stadium in Yamoussoukro witnessed history as ASEC Mimosas became the first Ivorian club to win the WAFU-B Women’s Champions League qualifiers, sealing their ticket to the 2025 CAF Women’s Champions League after a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Bayelsa Queens.
The final, which ended 1–1 in regulation time, was decided by spot-kicks, with ASEC edging the Prosperity Girls 8–7 in a tense shootout. The result denied Bayelsa Queens a return to the continental stage and marked only the second time in five editions that Nigeria, Africa’s most dominant women’s football nation, will not feature at the Champions League.
ASEC got off to a flying start through Ami Diallo, who stunned the Nigerian champions with a sixth-minute strike, igniting the home crowd. Bayelsa, however, showed resilience and quickly responded when Emem Essien netted her third goal of the tournament in the 18th minute. Despite chances on both sides, neither team could find a breakthrough before the lottery of penalties sealed Nigeria’s fate.
For Bayelsa Queens, the loss was particularly painful given their impressive run in Côte d’Ivoire. They swept through the group stage with a perfect record and overcame Burkina Faso’s USFA in the semi-finals, inspired by standout performances from Essien and captain Janet Akekoromowei. Yet, at the final hurdle, they fell short in the face of determined hosts.
Since the inception of the WAFU-B qualifiers in 2021, Nigerian clubs had only once previously missed out on the Champions League, when Delta Queens were ousted by Ghana’s Ampem Darkoa in 2023. This latest setback underscores a growing regional shift, as Côte d’Ivoire finally breaks the long-standing Nigerian-Ghanaian dominance.
Having staged four of the five editions of the qualifiers, Côte d’Ivoire’s persistence was rewarded with its first-ever winner. ASEC Mimosas will now carry the region’s hopes into the continental showpiece, while Bayelsa Queens are left to reflect on a campaign that promised so much but ended in heartbreak.
With history made in Yamoussoukro, ASEC’s triumph signals a new chapter for women’s club football in West Africa.
