From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
The West Africa Football Union B (WAFU-B) Qualifiers for this year’s CAF Women’s Champions League, has been reshuffled following a fresh draw at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin on Friday.
The fresh draws arrangement was occasioned by the withdrawal of AS Garde National of Niger, following the political crisis in their country.
The representatives of Six teams from Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, Burkina Faso, Benin Republic, and Cote d’Ivoire were on ground during the draws ceremony and are expected to participate in this year’s qualifiers.
At the new draw, three teams in two groups were paired against each other for the coveted sole ticket available to the zone.
The new arrangement has seen the participating teams grouped into two distinct groups, each consisting of three teams. Only the top two teams of each group will qualify for the semi-finals.
Nigeria’s champions, the Asaba-based Delta Queens is in Group A alongside USFA of Burkina Faso and Sam Nelly FC of Benin Republic,while Group B has the trio of Ampem Darkoa of Ghana, Atletico of Cote D’Ivoire, and Friends of the World FC of Togo.
The West African soccer fiesta, scheduled to hold at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium for over two weeks, is billed to commence from August 20 to September 2, 2023.
Addressing Sports journalists shortly after the press conference, the WAFU B Director of Competition, Bailley Sergei, said that the new draw was aimed at meeting CAF requirements of three teams in a group.
He disclosed that draws for the qualifiers were earlier conducted in Morocco before the withdrawal of the Nigerien side.
