Edo Queens FC are ready to fight for the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League WAFU-B qualifying ticket in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, assistant coach Gabriel Benson has said.

Benson said the players were fully aware of the task ahead and understood the responsibility of representing Nigeria at the regional competition.

“The girls are ready to go. They know the task ahead of them. They know they are representing Nigeria at large and are ready to fight for the trophy,” he said.

“The weather here is a bit hotter than in Nigeria and we try to engage the players on exercises that can help them easily acclimatise,” Benson added.

He said Edo Queens would approach the competition with determination, irrespective of the quality of opposition in their group.

“In this group, we are here to play against anybody. Even though there are former champions in our group, we will take one game at a time,” he noted.

The reigning Nigeria Women’s Football League (NWFL) champions arrived in Ouagadougou at on Thursday and had thier first training session this morning.

Edo Queens are drawn in Group B alongside ASEC Mimosas of Côte d’Ivoire, Ampem Darkoa Ladies FC of Ghana and AS Garde Nationale of Niger.

Meanwhile Group A comprises USFAS of Burkina Faso, Dynamique FC of Benin and ASOK Da-Kara Feminines of Togo.

The Nigerian representative will begin her campaign on Monday against AS Garde Nationale of Niger at Stade 4-A-Oût.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the WAFU-B qualifiers will determine the team that represents the zone at the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League.

Former Brazil superstar Ronaldinho has announced a sensational comeback to professional football 11 years after retiring, signing with Italian Serie C side Ravenna with the goal of scoring “a 300th goal.”

The 46-year-old, who won the 2002 World Cup and the 2005 Ballon d’Or, was unveiled on Thursday on a beach in Ravenna, ending a glittering career that last saw him play an official match for Fluminense in September 2015.

“I’m very happy to be here with friends, we have a team that can do something good,” Ronaldinho told reporters.
“Will you see me play? I don’t know, only the coach knows that. Coming back to Italy is wonderful, I’m here to help my teammates win.
“As you can see, I’m in shape, I feel good. If I could score my 300th goal, that would be even more beautiful.”

The comeback was first announced in June on the sidelines of the World Cup in Miami by Ignazio Cipriani, an Italian-American businessman who has owned Ravenna since 2024.

Cipriani said Ronaldinho’s mission is “romantic” and insisted it was not just for publicity.
“His objective is romantic, to try to score his last goal,” Cipriani said on Thursday.
“His involvement is not a token gesture or a marketing stunt to get people talking about us.”

The former Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and AC Milan playmaker will also become a shareholder in the club. He scored 33 goals in 97 appearances for Brazil during his career.

Cipriani confirmed that Ronaldinho will not feature against Reggiana in Monday’s Serie C season opener.
Ravenna finished third in Group B of last season’s third division and are targeting a return to Serie B for the first time since 2008.

For Ronaldinho, the move marks a return to Italian football more than a decade after his stint with AC Milan between 2008 and 2011.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, have launched investigations into the utilisation of the N12 billion Federal Government intervention fund released to the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, for players’ wages and bonuses.

A top source familiar with the matter disclosed to newsmen on Thursday that some officials linked to the fund had been invited by investigators and had made statements.
“They have been under our radar before now. We invited some officials over to our offices, and they gave their statements. Presently, they are on administrative bail. We have not ended our investigation,” the source said.

The development was contained in a letter dated August 18, 2026, signed by Onoja Joshua, Esq., on behalf of the NFF General Secretary. The letter was addressed to Cromwell & Okeke in response to a Freedom of Information request for financial records and utilisation logs of the fund.

The NFF declined to release the documents, saying the matter was already before the two anti-graft agencies.
“It is my instruction to inform you that the subject matter of the request under the Freedom of Information Act is subject of investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission,” the letter stated.
“Therefore, all documents relating to the request are before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.”
A copy of the NFF’s response was published by _SaharaReporters_ on Thursday.

President Bola Tinubu approved the N12bn payment in January 2024, ahead of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, to clear outstanding debts owed to Nigeria’s national teams.
According to a statement from the President’s Media Centre, the fund covered 15 months of unpaid salaries for senior national team coaches, as well as allowances and promises due to the Super Eagles, Super Falcons, and U-20 teams.

The fund was released amid repeated complaints by players over unpaid bonuses and allowances.

The probe comes at a tense time for Nigerian football. In November 2025, the Super Eagles boycotted training in Rabat, Morocco, ahead of a crucial 2026 World Cup play-off against Gabon, citing outstanding allowances dating back to 2019.

Both the Super Eagles and the Super Falcons have also failed to qualify for major tournaments, with the men missing the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico, and the women missing the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

NFF President Ibrahim Gusau, elected in September 2022 in Benin City, is seeking a second term at the federation’s elective congress scheduled for September 27. His administration has faced growing criticism over transparency and results.

Although the NFF board has denied it, there are claims that the National Sports Commission is considering stopping the elections and installing a normalisation committee to oversee Nigerian football.