Elite One: Abong-Mbang twice come from behind to draw with Stade Renard
On their return to the top flight after 27 years away, Union sportive d’Abong-Mbang drew 2–2 in Bertoua in the opening match of the 2026–2027 season.
Contribution SNA · Author profile ·
Listen to this story
Synthetic English voice · 2 min 14 s
Union sportive d’Abong-Mbang are back in Cameroon’s top flight and did not go home empty-handed. On Saturday 17 October, at the Bertoua departmental stadium, the newly promoted side drew with Stade Renard de Melong (2–2) in the opening match of the 2026–2027 MTN Elite One. Twice behind, the East region club found one last equaliser late in the game.
Two leads wiped out
Stade Renard had taken the lead in the first half. Abong-Mbang answered with a penalty before the break, sending both teams into the dressing rooms level. The visitors then went ahead again in the second half but could not hold on until the end. The promoted side’s second fightback made it two goals apiece.
That sequence of events puts the point won by each team in a different light. Abong-Mbang avoided starting their season with a defeat after twice finding themselves behind. For Stade Renard, two leads were not enough to turn this away trip into a win.
The East’s return will be judged over the long haul
For Union sportive d’Abong-Mbang, this opener marked a return to the top flight after 27 years away. The fixture had been staged in Bertoua, in their home East region. Facing a side that was already in the first division last season, the newly promoted club began with a level result.
This first match is part of a fourteen-club league played on a home-and-away basis. The season calendar provides for twenty-six matchdays and a finish on 16 May 2027. The draw in Bertoua opens that journey; it does not yet allow either side to be placed with any certainty in the league’s pecking order.
Different opponents await on 25 October
Abong-Mbang’s next scheduled fixture is an away trip to Aigle de la Menoua on Sunday 25 October, in Bamendzi. Stade Renard are due to host Panthère du Ndé in Melong on the same day. These second-round fixtures appear in the calendar published for the 2026–2027 season.