Bafana Bafana face heavyweights Cameroon in Afcon Round of 16 showdown
Bafana Bafana, and their strategic prowess under Hugo Broos, face five-time Afcon champions Cameroon in an exciting Round of 16 showdown at Agdal Medina Stadium, Rabat, on Sunday. Seen here: Bafana's Oswin Appollis (left). Picture: BackpagePix
Image: Backpagepix
Bafana Bafana will take on juggernauts Cameroon in the Round of 16 in the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) at Agdal Medina Stadium, in Rabat, on Sunday.
Bafana had to wait until an hour before 2026 dawned as Cameroon beat Mozambique 2-1, while Ivory Coast edged Gabon 3-2 to determine the final standings in Group F.
It meant Ivory Coast finished top, and Cameroon ended second to book their date with the 1996 Afcon champions.
Cameroon, meanwhile, are five-time Afcon champions having lifted the title in 1984, 1988, 2000, 2002 and most recently 2017.
Bafana Bafana’s Rising Fifa Rankings and Strategic Opportunity Against Cameroon
However, with Bafana’s consistent performances under Hugo Broos - the gap has closed on Cameroon in the Fifa rankings. Cameroon are 57th in the world and 10th in Africa, while Bafana are 61 globally and 11th on the continent.
Therefore it seems there might not be a better time to take on the ‘mighty’ Cameroon for Bafana.
Bafana finished second in Group B, behind Egypt, to advance to the knockout stages of the continental showpiece.
Bafana’s Impressive Performance Against Egypt in Afcon Group Stage
During Bafana’s group campaign, the most telling clash was their performance against Egypt, which they lost 1-0 on Boxing Day.
Though Egypt were dominant in the first half and were rewarded with a controversial but correctly awarded penalty, which Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah slotted home to bag the 1-0 victory, it was an impressive display from Bafana.
As Egypt were reduced to 10 men for the second half, Bafana looked like a threat until the final whistle. This against one of the tournament favourites spoke volumes.
In fact, it was quite revealing that Egypt, for all their class and attacking intent, were unable to score in open play in that first stanza.
It showed that Bafana, under Hugo Broos, are able to compete tactically with the very best on the continent despite a lack of superstars on their team sheet.
It all bodes well for the knockout stages for Bafana as they remain a good bet to pull off a surprise at this Afcon, much like they did in the previous edition.