Cote d’Ivoire and Cameroon will meet in a prestige friendly in Abidjan on 3 October, according to information obtained by Afrik-Foot.
The fixture will reunite two of Africa’s most successful national teams, with the Elephants and the Indomitable Lions having won eight continental titles between them. It will also be their first meeting since a 1-1 draw in Marrakech during the first round of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, just over nine months earlier.
The two federations have agreed to stage the latest chapter in a fixture that has regularly produced high-quality and entertaining matches. Cote d’Ivoire will be led by their new head coach, Frenchman Herve Renard, while Cameroon will arrive after failing to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Cote d’Ivoire, who are listed as having reached the last 16 of the 2026 World Cup, will play the friendly after opening their qualifying campaign for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
The Elephants are scheduled to face Ghana in Abidjan and Somalia, although the venue for the latter match has yet to be decided. Their qualifying group also includes The Gambia.
Cameroon will begin their own campaign with a home game against Comoros before travelling to face Congo. Their Group G also contains Namibia.
The October meeting will form part of an extended international window introduced by FIFA for the first time. September and October international breaks have been combined into one period running from 21 September to 6 October.
That arrangement will allow each African national team to play up to four matches. The first two rounds of 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying will take place during the window, alongside the possibility of two further dates for friendly internationals.
Despite that increased flexibility, Cote d’Ivoire are not expected to play another match in October, according to the information reported by Afrik-Foot.
The final FIFA international window of 2026 is scheduled for 9-17 November. It will provide the opportunity for the third and fourth rounds of qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
The 2027 tournament will be hosted jointly by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The meeting in Abidjan will therefore give both Cote d’Ivoire and Cameroon a high-profile test following their opening two qualifying fixtures, while renewing a rivalry that produced a closely contested encounter at the most recent Africa Cup of Nations.