By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
Nigeria Women’s Football League (NWFL) Champions, Rivers Angels have been drawn in Group B with Ghana’s Hasaacas Ladies and Police Sports Association FC from Niger Republic, in the 2021 CAF Women’s Champions League WAFU-B mini tournament billed for Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire from July 17 to 30, 2021.
Also, Group A comprises Ivoirein women’s league champions, Onze Soeurs de Gagnoa (Eleven Sisters of Gagnoa); Union Sportive des forces Armees of Burkina Faso and Friends of the World FC from Togo.
The virtual draw ceremony held at the zone’s headquarters Abijdan was supervised by WAFU Administrative Secretary, Boureima Balima, and it set the tone for the first African Zonal qualifier of the newly-formed CAF Women’s Champions League.
The draw has rekindled the age-long football rivalry between West African neighbours, Nigeria and Ghana, with both countries earlier scheduled to meet in the first round of the 2022 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON) qualifier in October.
The return leg in Ghana is slated for early 2022.According to the draw, the six participating teams were split into two groups of three, the two top sides will progress to the last four of the competition, with the winners of those knockout semi-final matches to slug it out in the final.
Prompt News reports the two winners of the semi-final game will face off in the final for the title, just as the finalists will automatically qualify as representatives of the zone for the finals at the inaugural CAF Women’s Champions League in Egypt later this year.
The WAFU-B will be the only zone to produce two teams at the finals, with the region being the home of the reigning champions of the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations, Nigeria.
2021 WAFU-B Women’s Champions League Groups:
Group A:
*Eleven Sisters of Gagnoa (Ivory Coast)
*Union Sportive des forces Armees (Burkina Faso)
*Friends of the World Football Club (Togo)
Group B:
*Rivers Angels Football Club (Nigeria)
*Hasaacas Ladies Football Club (Ghana)
*Police Sports Association (Niger).
