Cote d’Ivoire and Cameroon meet in a heavyweight African football derby in Abidjan on Saturday, with both sides looking to claim victory in their friendly at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Ebimpe.
The match will start at 21:00 French time, 20:00 in Cameroon and 19:00 in Cote d’Ivoire (GMT). It will be shown in France on TV5MONDE, in Cote d’Ivoire on NCI and, probably, in Cameroon on CRTV.
The fixture comes after both teams began their qualifying campaigns for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. It is also the latest chapter in a long-running rivalry between two of the continent’s most established international sides.
Ibrahim Sangare described the contest as “a derby” during his pre-match news conference, underlining the importance attached to the meeting by the Ivory Coast camp. Neither side will want to lose the latest encounter between the two African heavyweights, a view also shared by Ivory Coast manager Herve Renard.
This will be the 22nd meeting between the teams since 1970. Cameroon hold the edge in the previous 21 matches, with nine victories to Cote d’Ivoire’s eight. The sides have also drawn three times.
Their most recent meeting came on 28 December in the group stage of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. The match ended 1-1 in Marrakech, with Amad Diallo putting Cote d’Ivoire ahead in the 51st minute before Ghislain Konan scored an own goal five minutes later.
Renard has faced Cameroon six times as a manager. His record against them is two wins, one draw and three defeats. His most recent meeting with the Indomitable Lions ended in victory, when he led Morocco to a 2-0 win in a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on 16 November 2018.
Cote d’Ivoire have made a winning start to their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, beating Ghana 2-0 before defeating Somalia 0-2. Cameroon opened with a 3-1 victory over Comoros, then drew 1-1 with Congo.
The Ivory Coast squad is available in full for the friendly. Cameroon have one fitness concern, with Christian Kofane the only doubt. The Bayer Leverkusen striker missed the match against Congo but could still be fit to feature against Cote d’Ivoire.