The tournament, now in its third edition, is set to take place from November 5th to 19th, and they have raised the hopes of the nation as they aim to revive Ghana’s fortunes on the continental stage.

That is because in the maiden edition of the tournament Hasaacas, a Ghanaian side, reached the final, losing 2-0 in the final game to South Africa club Mamelodi Sundowns.

Last year Ampem Darkoa Ladies disappointed the nation when they failed to qualify for the tournament after losing the final of the regional qualifying competition against Nigerian side Bayelsa Queens.

They fought back 12 months later and qualified by winning the WAFU Zone B tournament in August, seeing off Nigerian champions Delta Queens 1-0 in the final.

Their journey to this illustrious tournament was no easy feat, built on earlier victories over Togo’s Amis Du Monde, Ivorian side Athletico Abidjan and Sam Nelly FC of Benin as they blitzed the regional qualifying event.

While the final was settled by Ophelia Serwaa’s composed 43rd-minute strike, their free-flowing earlier matches demonstrated Ampem Darkoa’s attacking talent.

Mary Amponsah underlined her eye for goal by finishing as the tournament’s top scorer with eight strikes, making her one of the players to look out for in Cote d’Ivoire.

Drawn in Group B alongside holders AS FAR Rabat of Morocco, Huracanes of Equatorial Guinea and AS Mande of Mali, Darkoa face a stern test but Amponsah is confident of their chances.

“We are not afraid of any team, especially AS FAR, because most of their players are part of their national teams and so are we. We just have to listen to our coaches and stick to their orders,” Amponsah said.

“We know that expectations are high and the pressure to win is also there but as players we have psyched ourselves to overcome the pressure by going as far as possible and winning the trophy.”

Head Coach, Nana Joe Adarkwa, is also poised insisting that they can overcome their tough opponents in Group B of the competition 

“AS FAR are not bigger than any other team. Every team from each country is a champion, and so are we, so we can face them squarely. It all depends on how we approach each game,” coach Adarkwa said.

“If we are able to win at least two games, we can qualify from the group and we will make sure to prevent AS FAR from scoring any goal against us,” he added.

With women’s football rapidly rising across West Africa, the Ghanaians have a chance to further spur its growth with a strong CAF Women’s Champions League performance and possibly do better than Hasaacas did in the maiden competition.

A historic first Ghanaian victor would undoubtedly accelerate surging participation and interest levels back home.

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The reigning Women’s Champions recorded a 1-0 hard-fought win in a thrilling match on Thursday in Benin City.

The win also mean Ampem Darkoa Ladies have qualified for the Women’s Champions League and have become the second Ghanaian women’s team after Hasaacas Ladies achieved the same feat in the inaugural edition in 2021.

Last season, Ampem Darkoa Ladies narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Women’s Champions League after finishing as runners-up in the qualifiers, with a loss to Nigeria’s Bayelsa Queens in the final held in Yamoussoukro.

However, this season saw a remarkable turnaround in their fortunes. The team showcased a different level of performance, dominating the competition and asserting their dominance on the field.

Ampem Darkoa Ladies displayed impressive form throughout the tournament, dispatching teams like Ivory Coast’s Athletico FC d’Abidjan and Academie Amis du Monde of Togo in the group stage.

Their impressive journey continued as they secured a commanding victory over Benin’s Sam Nelly in the semifinals.

On the final match day, Ampem Darkoa Ladies sealed their triumph by defeating Delta Queens, securing their place in the Women’s Champions League to be staged in Ivory Coast.

Ampem Darkoa Ladies overcame Hasaacas Ladies via 5-4 win on penalties to clinch their third Women’s Premier League title.

The game resulted in two penalty goals during regulation time as Success Ameyaa hands Hasaacas Ladies the lead in the first half from the spot.

Ampem Darkoa also pulled parity with a contentious penalty which was converted by Comfort Yeboah in the 25th minute of the first half.

There was nothing to separate both sides as the game ended 1-1. The second half failed to produce any goal with the match heading for extra time with another 30 minutes.

Hasaacas Ladies missed one of their penalty kicks before Ophelia Serwaa Amponsah converted her own to win it for her side.

The girls from Techiman revenged the 4-0 defeat handed last season by Sekondi Hasaacas Ladies to clinch their third league title after winning it in 2016 and 2017.

Ampem Darkoa will represent Ghana in the CAF Women’s Champions League tournament.

Ampem Darkoa Ladies on Monday, came from behind to record a 2-1 win over Army Ladies at the Bantama Astro Turf in Kumasi. Army Ladies took a shocking lead in the 4^th minute through Zenabu Mumuni but Mary Amponsah scored two second half goals in the 56^th and 91^st minutes to book a place in the final.

Defending champions, Hassacas Ladies on the other hand dispatched Ashtown Ladies 2-0 at the McDan La Town Park in the other semifinal encounter on Wednesday.

Success Ameyaa converted from the spot in the 18^th minute to put the ‘Dooooo Ladies’ in the lead before striker, Veronica Appiah buried ‘the Originators’ in the 90^th minute.

Ampem Darkoa Ladies will be hoping to redeem themselves after a disappointing 2-0 loss last season as Hasaacas Ladies aim to clinch onto the title for yet another season.

The final is set to take place on the weekend of June 4/5, 2022.