Overview:
The 1996 champions will rely on Lyle Foster, Oswin Apollis and Teboho Mokoena for inspiration while David Pagou in the opposite dugout will hope Karl Etta Eyong, Bryan Mbeumo and Carlos Baleba show up.
Sunday January 4, 2026
- Al Medina stadium, Rabat 8pm Local Time [10pm EAT]
Five-time champions Cameroon take on South Africa in Rabat with a quarter final spot the prize for the winner of the tie.
The Indomitable Lions finished second in Group F following victories over Gabon and Mozambique and a 1-1 draw with champions Ivory Coast.
South Africa came second in Group B as well beating Zimbabwe and Angola in thrillers and then lost to 10-man Egypt in the other game.
The highly anticipated fixture at the Al Medina stadium will see Hugo Broos facing his former employers with whom he won the title in 2017 and a year later, left the West African giants.
Speaking to the media, the Belgian said he has no feelings attached and will have no mercy against his ex-bosses.
“I would have preferred to meet Cameroon in the final. It’s obvious. Maybe it’s a little too early now to meet now,” Broos told reporters on Saturday. “It is a very special match for me and I think you understand why.
“Even though there are not many players left from my time there, I think only one remains, I’m not completely sure. But when you win something with a country, there is always a small place in your heart that stays for the rest of your life. That is the case with Cameroon and me.
“It’s not because I said it will be a special match for me that we will leave spaces (on the pitch). There will be no mercy tomorrow. I have to win this game tomorrow because I am the coach of South Africa.”
The 1996 champions will rely on Lyle Foster, Oswin Apollis and Teboho Mokoena for inspiration while David Pagou in the opposite dugout will hope Karl Etta Eyong, Bryan Mbeumo and Carlos Baleba show up.
Key Stats
- Their only previous meeting at the AFCON came in the opening game of the 1996 tournament, where hosts South Africa secured a 3-0 victory at Soccer City. Goals from Phil Masinga, Mark Williams and John Moshoeu set Bafana Bafana on course for their maiden continental title.
- South Africa’s return to international football in 1992 saw them face Cameroon in Durban in a friendly on 7 July 1992, with Doctor Khumalo converting a 79th-minute penalty in a 1-0 win.
- Overall, the sides have met nine times, with South Africa winning three matches, Cameroon one, and five encounters ending in draws.
The winner in this tie will face the triumphant side between hosts Morocco and East Africans Tanzania who face off in the earlier fixture on Sunday.