South Africa and Cameroon will meet at the Africa Cup of Nations finals for only the second time when they face off in the Round of 16 at the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Morocco 2025.
The match takes place at the Al Medina Stadium in Rabat today with kick-off scheduled for 8pm, marking the first AFCON meeting between the sides since 1996.
Their only previous encounter at the finals came in the opening match of that tournament, when hosts South Africa produced a commanding 3–0 victory at Soccer City. Goals from Phil Masinga, Mark Williams and John Moshoeu set Bafana Bafana on their way to lifting the continental title for the first, and so far only time.
The rivalry dates back even further. Just months after South Africa’s return to international football, they edged Cameroon 1–0 in a friendly in Durban in July 1992, with Doctor Khumalo converting a late penalty.
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Overall, the teams have met nine times in all competitions. South Africa hold the edge with three wins to Cameroon’s one, while five matches have ended level. Cameroon’s only victory came in a 2–1 friendly in July 1992, and the Indomitable Lions have not beaten South Africa since.
Bafana Bafana are unbeaten in their last seven meetings with Cameroon, although the last three encounters have all ended in draws. Those included a friendly in 2015 and two matches during qualification for the 2017 AFCON.
That qualifying campaign adds an intriguing subplot, with current South Africa head coach Hugo Broos then in charge of Cameroon. The first meeting in Limbe ended in an eventful 2–2 draw, before a goalless return leg in Durban saw Cameroon progress to the finals at South Africa’s expense.
Broos would go on to guide Cameroon to AFCON glory in 2017, lifting the trophy after victories over Senegal, Ghana and Egypt in the knockout stages.
History suggests fine margins. South Africa have scored in eight of their nine meetings with Cameroon, while both sides have found it difficult to keep clean sheets in the fixture.
Nearly three decades after their last AFCON showdown, familiar faces, shared history and knockout tension combine to set the stage for a compelling contest in Rabat, with a place in the quarter-finals at stake.
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