The final whistle of the 2026 edition of the Bamenda III Council Inclusive Royal Tournament has brought to a close a month of football and wider holiday activities through which the Bamenda III Council sought to keep young people engaged, promote peaceful coexistence and strengthen inclusion within the municipality.
Sporting FC of Bayelle Manda defeated Revenge FC of Mbesi in the final on Sunday, 23 August 2026, at the Bamenda III Council Municipal Stadium in Nibung, bringing the latest chapter of one of the municipality's longest running community football competitions to an end.
Beyond the trophy, the final provided a platform for community leaders to deliver a broader message to young people at a critical moment, with the new school year approaching.
A tournament of goals, drama and emerging talent
The 2026 edition brought together 10 teams divided into two pools of five, with the group stage followed by quarter finals and semi finals.
Before the final, the competition had already produced 26 matches and 82 goals, an average of more than three goals per match.
The group stage accounted for 67 goals in 20 matches, while the six knockout matches before the final produced another 15 goals.
The competition was characterised by attacking football, with only one draw recorded during the group stage before the knockout rounds introduced greater caution and tighter margins.
Sporting FC emerged as the outstanding side of the group stage, winning all four of their Pool A matches and collecting 12 points. They scored 10 goals and conceded four.
Nibung FC produced an equally impressive campaign in Pool B, also winning all four group matches. They scored 12 goals and conceded only two, giving them the best defensive record of the group stage.
Their run, however, ended in the semi finals when Revenge FC defeated them 1–0.
Sporting survived a difficult quarter final against Sunday Sharp FC, drawing 1–1 before winning 3–2 on penalties, then defeated Tipper Park FC 3–1 in the semi finals to reach the final.
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Revenge, meanwhile, defeated Bayelle FC 4–1 in the quarter finals before eliminating Nibung 1–0.
The statistics therefore tell an interesting story. Sporting entered the final unbeaten, while Revenge arrived with three consecutive victories in the knockout phase.
In the end, Sporting completed their campaign as 2026 champions, while Revenge finished runners up and Nibung FC took third place.
The tournament also provided a platform for experienced and emerging players, including footballers competing at elite and regional levels, while veteran goalkeeper Tamasang Roger Funwie, known as Handa, continued his remarkable participation after more than 30 years in the competition.
Fon calls for peace and education
Among those who watched the final was HRM Fon Azehfor III of Nkwen, Paramount Fon of Nkwen.
The Fon used the occasion to appeal for peace and urged young people to take their education seriously as they prepare to return to school in September.
His message placed the football tournament within a wider community context. For the young people who participated, football provided recreation and competition during the holidays. For the traditional authority, it also offered an opportunity to remind them that their future extends beyond the football pitch.
The appeal for education was particularly timely as families prepare for the beginning of another academic year.
Mayor turns football into a youth empowerment platform
For Mayor Fongu Cletus Tanwe, as sponsor of the competition, the Mayor used the final and the tournament as a platform to promote peaceful coexistence, while linking the activities to the Bamenda III Council's broader efforts to build the municipality.
The tournament brought together teams and supporters from different communities and neighbourhoods, creating a regular space where young people could compete, socialise and interact outside the pressures and difficulties that have affected the region.
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That social function has become one of the important features of the competition.
The 2026 edition also demonstrated that community development does not have to be separated from sport. Match days created opportunities for drinks sellers, food vendors, hawkers and other small businesses, generating income while attracting supporters to the playing grounds.
Inclusion goes beyond the football pitch
The inclusion agenda of the Council was also visible away from the tournament.
As part of its activities, Mayor Fongu Cletus Tanwe provided special financial assistance to Hope Social Union for the Visually Impaired, HSUVI, an organisation representing persons with visual impairment in the municipality.
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The assistance was received at the Council by HSUVI President Dr Tonnain Peter and members of his executive.
Dr Tonnain expressed gratitude to the Mayor for ensuring that persons with disabilities, particularly those with visual impairment, remain part of his activities and development agenda.
The gesture reinforced a broader message that emerged throughout the holiday programme: inclusion is not simply about being present; it is about having an opportunity to participate and benefit.
More than 200 young people put to work
The football tournament formed part of a wider holiday programme for young people in Bamenda III, including the Council's annual inclusive holiday jobs programme.
For one month, more than 200 young people, including youths with disabilities, were engaged across Nkwen and other parts of the municipality.
Their work included cleaning streets, clearing gutters, beautifying public spaces and supporting other Council activities.
The programme also went beyond manual labour.
Workshops were organised for participating students on waste management and civic responsibility, giving the young people an opportunity to acquire practical knowledge while contributing to the cleanliness and upkeep of their communities.
The combination of temporary employment, practical work and civic education gave the holiday programme a broader purpose beyond simply keeping young people occupied during the school break.
Young people with disabilities also found a place
For participants with disabilities, the programme carried an additional significance.
Mbuh Silas, a participant with visual impairment, described his experience as evidence that the programme was designed to make people feel that they belonged.
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Speaking alongside Baffon Collette while receiving compensation for the completed holiday work, Silas expressed appreciation to the Mayor for ensuring that persons with disabilities were considered in the programme.
He said the initiative allowed everyone to participate and praised the Council for making its activities inclusive.
His reaction captures an important measure of an inclusive programme: whether those intended to benefit actually feel that they have a place in it.
From the football pitch to the wider community
The 2026 tournament also demonstrated the economic and social potential of community sport.
Match days attracted vendors selling drinks, roasted meat, soya, boiled groundnuts, popcorn, chewing gum and other goods. Some sellers reported making between 15,000 and 25,000 FCFA in profit on a match day, income that depended directly on the crowds generated by the competition.
Supporters also described the matches as an opportunity to escape, temporarily, the difficulties and trauma associated with the armed conflict. They accompanied teams, sang, danced and turned the football grounds into spaces of social interaction.
The presence of the Red Cross team from Bamenda III, under the leadership of local committee president Njise John, added another layer of community service, providing emergency medical support alongside the teams' own medical personnel.
At the final, certificates of recognition were also presented to people who had distinguished themselves during the competition, including young and older players, volunteers, long serving participants, club officials, partners and sponsors.
A tournament that has survived years
The significance of the 2026 edition is also tied to the competition's history.
The tournament began more than 35 years ago under the name of His Royal Highness Fon Ngufor III of Nkwen, Paramount Fon of Nkwen at the time.
It was later sponsored by Fobi Nchinda Simon, who subsequently became MP for Bamenda Bali, until 2011, when he handed the competition over to the Bamenda III Council under Mayor Fongu Cletus Tanwe.
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The Council continued sponsoring the competition until 2016, when the armed conflict forced its suspension.
It resumed in 2022 under Council sponsorship.
Previous champions include Legacy SC in 2022, Alahlieh FC in 2023 and 2024, and King City FC of Mbefi in 2025.
Sporting FC now join that list as the 2026 champions.
The bigger story beyond the trophy
There are limits to what football, a month long holiday jobs programme or a Council sponsored tournament can achieve. Sport cannot resolve the deeper causes of insecurity, while temporary employment cannot replace sustained economic opportunities for young people.
But the 2026 programme demonstrated the practical value of creating spaces where young people can play, work, learn, earn, interact and participate in community life.
The tournament produced 82 goals in 26 matches, but its impact cannot be measured only on the scoreboard.
It created economic activity around match days, gave young footballers a competitive platform, brought experienced players back into community football, provided opportunities for persons with disabilities and created a regular gathering point for residents.
As Sporting FC begin their reign as champions, the football has ended.
The larger questions remain: whether the young people will carry the peace message beyond the football pitch, return to school with renewed commitment, and whether the Council's emphasis on inclusion and youth participation can be sustained beyond the holiday season.
For Bamenda III, the 2026 tournament has shown that a football competition can be more than a contest for a trophy. It can become a meeting point for sport, livelihood, inclusion, peace and community life.
By Bakah Derick for Hilltopvoices Web
Photos: Elastic. Ngeminyi Josephine
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