Ampem Darkoa Ladies will seek to take a significant step towards securing a semi-final place when they face Uganda’s Kawempe Muslim Ladies in a crucial Group B encounter at the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League on Thursday.
The Ghanaian champions take on the Ugandan debutants at the Suez Canal Stadium in Ismailia, with kick-off scheduled for 17:00 local time (15:00 GMT).
Both sides enter the encounter with three points after winning their opening fixtures, setting up an intriguing contest between two teams eager to maintain their perfect starts and strengthen their qualification prospects.
Ampem Darkoa announced their arrival with an emphatic 5-1 comeback victory over Mali’s USFAS Bamako, recovering from an early setback to register their biggest win at the competition.
Oumou Koné gave USFAS the lead in the 10th minute before Angelina Yeboah restored parity in the 27th minute. Patricia Agyei completed the turnaround three minutes later, setting the Ghanaian side on course for an impressive victory.
Yeboah scored her second in the 78th minute before Beline Nyarko and Nancy Amoh added further goals in the closing stages to complete the five-goal haul.
Kawempe, meanwhile, produced one of the opening round’s biggest surprises by defeating defending champions AS FAR Rabat 3-2, with Agnes Nabukenya scoring twice to inspire the Ugandan side to victory on their tournament debut.
Ampem Darkoa Target Historic Successive Victories
Thursday’s meeting will be the first between the two clubs at the CAF Women’s Champions League finals and the first-ever finals encounter between clubs from Ghana and East Africa.
The historical record between West and East African representatives at the competition is relatively balanced, with West African clubs recording three victories against two for their East African counterparts, alongside one draw from six meetings.
Ampem Darkoa will be particularly motivated to secure consecutive victories at the finals for the first time in their history.
Despite winning their opening fixture in both appearances at the competition, the Ghanaian champions have never followed up with another victory in their next match.
Their 2-1 opening win over AS FAR in 2023 was followed by a 3-0 defeat to Mali’s AS Mandé.
Subsequently they defeated Equatorial Guinea’s Huracanes 3-1 before losing to SC Casablanca in the semi-finals and AS FAR in the third-place play-off.
A victory over Kawempe would therefore represent a significant milestone, making Ampem Darkoa the second Ghanaian club to win successive group-stage matches at the competition after Hasaacas Ladies achieved the feat in the inaugural 2021 edition.
Darkoa’s Impressive Attacking Display
Ampem Darkoa’s opening performance also offered encouraging signs of their attacking potential.
Their five goals against USFAS matched the total they managed across all three group-stage matches during their 2023 debut, while the six-goal encounter remains the highest-scoring match of the 2026 tournament so far.
The four-goal winning margin was also the biggest victory recorded by a Ghanaian club at the finals, surpassing Hasaacas Ladies’ 3-0 triumph over AS Mandé in 2021.
Angelina Yeboah became only the second Ampem Darkoa player to score twice in a single match at the finals, following Tracy Twum’s brace in their 3-1 victory over Huracanes in 2023.
Patricia Agyei also made a significant contribution, scoring once and providing an assist, as the Ghanaian champions registered 24 attempts, with eight finding the target.
However, their defensive record remains a concern heading into Thursday’s encounter. Ampem Darkoa have conceded in all six matches they have played at the finals and are yet to register a clean sheet.
They will need greater defensive discipline against a Kawempe side that demonstrated its attacking threat against AS FAR. Nabukenya scored twice from four shots on target, while Sharifah Nakimera recorded a match-high nine interceptions.
Second Semi-Final Push on Second Appearance
Ampem Darkoa are making only their second appearance at the CAF Women’s Champions League, which was established in 2021, but have already demonstrated their ability to compete at the highest continental level.
On their debut in 2023, the Ghanaian champions finished top of Group B after winning two of their three matches, defeating AS FAR and Huracanes, with their only group-stage loss coming against AS Mandé.
They subsequently reached the semi-finals but lost to SC Casablanca before suffering another defeat to AS FAR in the third-place play-off, finishing fourth overall.
Unusual Qualification for Ghanaian Champions
Their qualification for the 2026 edition also came through an unusual route. After losing the WAFU Zone B final to Nigeria’s Edo Queens on penalties following a 2-2 draw, Ampem Darkoa successfully protested the decision to proceed directly to a shootout without extra time.
CAF upheld their complaint, annulled Edo Queens’ 4-1 penalty shootout victory and ordered the final to resume from extra time with the score still 2-2.
Ampem Darkoa eventually won the resumed encounter 3-2 in Egypt in late October to secure the regional qualification slot.
With their opening victory already placing them at the top of Group B on goal difference, the Ghanaian champions now have an opportunity to move closer to another semi-final appearance.
A victory over Kawempe would put them in a commanding position ahead of their final group fixture, while also ending their wait for successive victories at the continental competition.
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