Edo Queens made history in the 2024 CAF Women’s Champions League, shocking many with their remarkable performance, including a stunning 2-1 victory over two-time champions Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies from South Africa. This victory not only ended Sundowns’ dominance over Nigerian clubs in the competition but also marked a significant milestone for Nigerian football. Despite finishing fourth after a narrow 2-1 loss to TP Mazembe in the semi-final and a 4-3 penalty defeat to FC Masar in the third-place match, Edo Queens’ journey was one to remember.
Here’s a closer look at their campaign in numbers:
- 1: Edo Queens made history as the first Nigerian team to win their opening match in the competition, securing a 3-0 victory over Commercial Bank of Ethiopia FC. Rivers Angels (2021) and Bayelsa Queens (2022) both failed to win their tournament openers.
- 1: By keeping a clean sheet against Commercial Bank of Ethiopia FC in their group opener, Edo Queens became the first NWFL team to do so in their debut match in the competition.
- 1: A landmark 2-1 win over Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies ended the South Africans’ dominance over Nigerian teams in the tournament. Sundowns had previously defeated Rivers Angels (1-0) and Bayelsa Queens (2-1) in earlier editions. With this victory, Edo Queens established themselves as the most successful Nigerian club to beat the two-time champions.
- 1: By reaching the semi-finals, Edo Queens became the first Nigerian side to top their group in four editions of the competition.
- 1: Despite their eventual loss, Edo Queens entered the history books as the first team to lose a third-place match on penalties in the competition, with a 4-3 setback to FC Masar. They also became the second team in the knockout stage to experience a penalty loss, following Sporting Club Casablanca’s 3-2 win over Ampem Darkoa in the 2023 semi-finals.
- 2: Edo Queens became the first Nigerian team to keep clean sheets in their first two group matches, drawing 0-0 with FC Masar. This feat placed them alongside Bayelsa Queens, who also recorded consecutive clean sheets in 2022 with wins over TP Mazembe (2-0) and Wadi Degla (3-0).
- 2: Miracle Usani became the second Nigerian player to be named to the competition’s Best XI. Edet Glory of Bayelsa Queens was the first Nigerian to achieve this honor in 2022 after helping TP Mazembe win the title.
- 3: Emem Peace Essien became Nigeria’s top scorer in the tournament, netting three goals. She surpassed the previous records set by Vivian Ikechukwu (Rivers Angels) and Mercy Itimi (Bayelsa Queens), who both scored two goals each in the 2021 and 2022 editions, respectively.
- 6: Edo Queens scored six goals in the competition, making them the second-highest scoring Nigerian team in the tournament’s history, just behind Bayelsa Queens, who netted seven goals in 2022. Rivers Angels scored four goals in 2021.
- 7: The team recorded the highest number of points—seven—by any Nigerian team in the group stage, topping their group. Bayelsa Queens had previously held the record with six points in 2022.
Edo Queens’ impressive run in the 2024 CAF Women’s Champions League has solidified their place in Nigerian football history, marking a breakthrough year for both the club and the country in continental women’s football.