South Africa vs Cameroon: Can Hugo Broos outwit his former side in AFCON 2025 Round of 16?
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Bafana look to maintain impressive record against Indomitable Lions
South Africa, bronze medalists at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, will face five-time African champions Cameroon in a blockbuster Round of 16 clash at the Al Medina Stadium in Rabat on Sunday evening. You can get all the key insights for the match in our South Africa vs Cameroon prediction.
Bafana Bafana secured their spot in the knockout stage of the competition by finishing in second place in Group B, where they defeated Angola and Zimbabwe, either side of a somewhat contentious defeat to group winners Egypt on Matchday 2.
Cameroon, meanwhile, came through the group of death as runners-up to defending champions, the Ivory Coast. They ended with seven points and an unbeaten record, having beaten Mozambique and Gabon, and drawn 1-1 against the Elephants.
Our experts are expecting an entertaining matchup here, according to our AFCON 2025 predictions, but the head-to-head record favours South Africa, who have only lost one of their nine previous encounters against Cameroon across all competitions.
One of the major storylines heading into this fixture revolves around Bafana’s head coach, Hugo Broos, who will face the side he led to the Africa Cup of Nations title nine years ago!
Since arriving in Mzansi, the Belgian tactician steered the South African national team to one of the longest unbeaten runs in international football and has transformed them into a unit that can compete with the best sides on the continent and beyond.
However, despite their off-field issues headlined by the arrival of David Pagou just a couple of weeks before the AFCON 2025, the Indomitable Lions always carry expectations in the continental tournament given their historical pedigree as the second-most successful nation in Africa after the Pharaohs.
South Africa vs Cameroon: Key stats and facts
While this will be the 10th meeting between South Africa and Cameroon, it is only the second time they will face off at the Africa Cup of Nations. Bafana Bafana came out 3-0 winners in their only previous AFCON encounter at Soccer City in Johannesburg back in 1996. Here are some more key stats:
South Africa key stats:
- South Africa won two and lost one of their three group-stage matches
- South Africa last won three matches at an AFCON in regulation time in 2000
- South Africa have won both their previous Round of 16 matches at AFCON
- South Africa have never conceded a goal in a Round of 16 match at AFCON
- Hugo Broos is unbeaten in AFCON knockout matches in open play
Cameroon key stats:
- Cameroon won two and drew one of their three group-stage matches
- Cameroon conceded only two goals in the group stage of this competition
- Cameroon have reached the AFCON knockout stage in every edition since 2015
- Cameroon were eliminated at this stage of the competition in the last edition
- Cameroon have never ended a Round of 16 clash at AFCON via penalties
