Newcomers Mbiplah FC came close to making history as the first-ever team to win both the Championship and Cup titles of the Wimbum Cultural and Development Association (WICUDA) Yaounde football tournament, but their dream was shattered by Nassara FC in the final of the 20th edition of the annual sports jamboree at the Military Stadium in Yaounde on Sunday, September 13, 2026.
Forward Nsanyu Glen gave Mbiplah FC an early lead and raised hopes of lifting the trophy when he converted from the spot just 11 minutes into the game after a Nassara FC defender handled the ball in the area.
Glen sent goalkeeper Nformi Randon diving to his left before calmly slotting the ball to the right with a clinical finish, sending Mbiplah FC fans into ecstasy.
The early goal came as a hammer blow to Nassara FC, but their response was swift. The boys coached by Nfor Hardison picked up the pace, mounting pressure upfront and eventually exploiting Mbiplah FC’s defensive frailties.
Mbiplah goalkeeper Nshang Shenelda appeared to panic under the pressure and committed a costly error. Gemoh Dudley immediately capitalised on the blunder, scoring for Nassara FC to restore parity in the 25th minute.
The equaliser appeared to signal to Mbiplah coach Jean Claude, Manager Ali Hilton and the rest of the technical staff that the trophy was far from secured.
But Nassara’s celebrations did not last long.
Just two minutes later, Mbiplah FC forward Glen completed his brace, curling a pass into the net from close range to restore his side’s lead in the 27th minute.
Joy returned to the faces of the Mbiplah FC players and technical bench. Even club president Ta Nformi Shei Derek, who was watching from the VIP stand, could be seen taking a drink as his team regained the lead with just minutes remaining before halftime.
However, just like Nassara’s earlier equaliser, Mbiplah’s second goal lead did not last long.
Suh Tata levelled scores from the penalty spot at the stroke of halftime, a goal that appeared to inject renewed confidence into the Nassara FC camp.
Mbiplah FC’s hopes of making history remained alive when play resumed for the second half, with the scoreline locked at 2-2.
But it appeared the dressing-room instructions from coach Nfor Hardison were exactly what Nassara needed to stop Mbiplah from achieving their historic ambition.
Nassara started the second half with a completely different game plan, catching their opponents off guard. This came despite the pre-match expectations that appeared to give Mbiplah an advantage over Nassara.
The tactical adjustment paid dividends before the hour mark as ten minutes after the restart, Marvin Ngah collected an excellent through pass and produced a superb lob from the outside of his boot to put Nassara ahead. He completed the move despite being sandwiched between two defenders during his intelligent run.
With Nassara now in front, Mbiplah FC appeared to lose some of their attacking intensity.
In their desperate quest for an equaliser, Mbiplah opened up another opportunity for Nassara, and Suh Tata capitalised to score his second goal of the match and Nassara’s fourth at the hour mark.
With a comfortable 4-2 lead, Nassara FC adopted a more defensive approach, protecting their advantage and making it difficult for Mbiplah’s attackers to penetrate.
Mbiplah mounted a late fightback but missed several scoring opportunities in the final minutes.
Their hopes of forcing a comeback finally appeared to disappear when the fourth assistant referee indicated that two additional minutes would be played, signalling that the regulation 90 minutes had elapsed.
Moments later, the central referee sounded the final whistle, sending Nassara FC players and supporters into wild celebrations.
After years of hard work, Nassara FC had finally done it, winning the 20th edition of the WICUDA Yaounde Football Tournament.
For Mbiplah FC, it was a major opportunity missed. The newcomers had engineered a genuine chance to claim a historic double but were pegged back twice before eventually surrendering the title.
WICUDA introduced the Championship title in 2022, with group leaders playing a ‘mini-final’ known as the Championship before the knockout stages of the Cup competition continued.
Since its introduction, no team had won the Championship final and gone on to lift the Cup in the same season.
Mbiplah FC entered this year’s competition determined to break that record despite being newcomers to the tournament. They achieved the first part of their ambition by winning the Championship final, but their historic double will have to wait for another year.
