Elite One Made Simple: How the 2025–26 Season Will Work

By Oni Ladonette Ondesa

Journalist kick442.com – Cameroon

The new MTN Elite season has been difficult for many to understand. One Facebook user even joked that the format is harder than Further Maths. But let’s break it down to “algebra”, the simplest level.

Cameroon’s top flight, MTN Elite One, will have 14 teams in a single pool. There are no groups. Everyone plays everyone, home and away.

Each team will play 26 matches in total. You play 13 games at home and 13 away. If you want to win the title, you must finish top after all 26 games.

At the bottom, it’s straightforward. If you finish 14th, you are relegated to Elite Two. If you finish 13th, you are not safe. You must play a promotion-relegation match against the runners-up from Elite Two to stay in the top flight.

Elite Two works differently. There are 16 teams, divided into two groups of eight. Each team plays 14 matches in the first phase.

After that, the league splits again. If you finish in the top three of each group, you move into the “Play-offs Up”, where teams fight for the title and promotion.

The champion is promoted automatically, while the runner-up clashes with the 13th team from the Elite One to either gain promotion or stay in the second flight

At the other end of the board, If you finish bottom of each group , you are relegated . The remaining four teams between the top three and the last placed team will play a survival battle.

The bottom two teams from the play down are relegated to the regional leagues, while the teams just above them must play the national inter-pool with regional teams if they hope to prolong their second flight status

This means, four teams will be relegated from the elite championship with a possibility of seeing six drop if the two playing the Inter-pool fail to finish as champion and runner up of the Inter-pool.

FECAFOOT says the idea is simple: make every match count, keep the league competitive until the end, and increase interest from fans, broadcasters, and scouts.

The season officially begins on January 24, 2026, at the Bafang Municipal Stadium, with a regional derby between Unisport de Bafang and Aigle Royal de la Menoua.