Nigerian Champions begin CAF Champions League qualifiers on Sunday

Nigeria’s Bayelsa Queens have arrived in Ivory Coast to commence their quest to qualify for the 2025 CAF Women’s Champions League.

The Prosperity Girls, six-time Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) champions, landed in Abidjan on Friday before holding their first training session at Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny.

The squad, led by head coach Whyte Ogbonda, will later move to Yamoussoukro, where the WAFU-B qualifiers will be staged from August 23 to September 5.

Bayelsa have been drawn in Group B alongside Ghana’s Police Ladies, Togo’s AS de la Kozah, and Sam Nelly of Benin.

They will open their campaign against the Ghanaian champions on Sunday.

Only the top side in each group will progress to the semi-finals, making every match important in the push for continental qualification.

Club Chairman Robin Angonimi Apreala said the team were in Ivory Coast “for real business” and determined to make Nigeria proud.

The squad has been working on discipline, tactical play, and team spirit in recent weeks, with Ogbonda expected to rely on their past continental experience.

Bayelsa Queens are aiming to return to the Champions League finals after a strong debut in 2022, when they won the WAFU-B title in the Ivory Coast, reached the semi-finals in Morocco, and eventually finished third by defeating Simba Queens of Tanzania.

The winners of the WAFU-B competition will secure a place at the main finals in Algeria later this year.