Ivory Coast vs Cameroon: AFCON 2025 giants face off in “Group of Death” decider
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Elephants and Indomitable Lions to battle for Group F supremacy
Ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Group F was widely regarded as the “Group of Death” at this year’s tournament, featuring the winners of two of the last three editions, and they will face off tonight in Marrakech, with all the key insights available in our Ivory Coast vs Cameroon prediction.
The defending champions, the Ivory Coast, kicked off their title defence impressively by securing a 1-0 victory over Mozambique. While the scoreline suggested otherwise, the Elephants dominated the match, creating six big chances while denying their opponents any clear-cut opportunities.
Now, Emerse Fae’s side will have the opportunity to show that their triumph in 2023 was no fluke or due to home advantage against their toughest opponent in Group F. They enter this match in good form too (W4 D1 L1) - scoring 13 goals and conceding just one in those six matches.
Cameroon’s build-up to AFCON 2025 was fraught with off-field issues, stemming from Samuel Eto’o’s re-election as the nation’s FA President and the subsequent sacking of Marc Brys. Another massive situation arose with Brys and his successor, David Pagou, both submitting differing squad lists for the tournament.
However, those issues were largely forgotten on Christmas Eve, when the Indomitable Lions secured a 1-0 victory over Gabon in their opening match of the tournament, which added to their hopes of reasserting themselves as one of Africa’s powerhouses under the guidance of Pagou.
This match marks the ninth time that these former AFCON champions will meet in the continent’s premier tournament. Cote d’Ivoire has won five matches, and Cameroon have three wins, though two of the latter’s victories came via penalty shootouts.
Across all competitions, the Elephants and Indomitable Lions have met 21 times, and the reigning AFCON champions hold a slight edge with 10 wins to nine, while two matches ended level. These sides last met in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, and both teams won their home fixtures.
Diallo vs Mbeumo - Man United duo headline Group F blockbuster
While there will be no shortage of talent on display tonight, the spotlight in this clash will be on Manchester United attacking duo Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo, who will face each other for the first time in national colours. You can follow the action in real-time using our AFCON 2025 livescores.
Both players have been vital to the Red Devils in the Premier League so far this season and made massive impacts for their nations in their respective opening matches at the AFCON 2025, earning Player of the Match awards for their performances.
Diallo tucked away the winner for the Elephants in their tournament opener against Mozambique - his second goal in 11 games for the reigning AFCON champions - and has already drawn comparisons to former Cote d’Ivoire greats, such as Yao Gervinho and Kanga Akale.
Mbeumo, on the other hand, has been a part of his nation’s setup for a longer period, having featured for them at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and while he did not get on the score sheet in the team’s AFCON 2025 first match, he did provide the assist for Etta Eyong to slot home the only goal of the game.
Aside from the Man United pair, there are plenty who could make the difference in this match, including the likes of Wilfried Zaha, Frank Kessie and Seko Fofana for the Elephants, while the Indomitable Lions can look to Eyong, Carlos Baleba and Frank Magri.
