The GPL champions' Ivorian training camp produced a mixed record on the pitch — a win over Yamoussoukro FC, then Saturday's 2-1 loss to SOA — just as their toughest possible Champions League test was confirmed: five-time African champions TP Mazembe in round one.
Medeama SC's pre-season camp in Côte d'Ivoire hit its first bump on Saturday, as the Mauve and Yellow went down 2-1 to Ivorian side Société Omnisports de l'Armée (SOA).
It's the champions' first defeat of a three-week residential camp based in Koumassi, a suburb of Abidjan, with coach Ibrahim Tanko putting 35 players and 14 backroom staff through sessions at the Parc des Sports de Treichville and the Lycée Classique pitch — the same setup Medeama used ahead of last season.
A tale of two friendlies
The SOA result is a contrast to how the tour started. Three days earlier, Medeama had beaten newly-promoted Ivorian Ligue 1 side Yamoussoukro FC 2-1 at the School Scientific de Yamoussoukro field, with Abdul Salam and Dominic Amponsah both scoring in the first half.
Pre-season results rarely tell the full story, and this defeat — like the win before it — gives Tanko's technical team another data point: minutes for the squad, a look at new faces, and a genuine test before the fixtures start to count.
The Mazembe test
That last point matters more than usual this season. Medeama have been drawn against TP Mazembe of DR Congo in the first preliminary round of the CAF Champions League — a daunting assignment against a club with five continental titles to their name and a run to the 2010 FIFA Club World Cup final. It's the kind of opponent that makes a bruising pre-season defeat feel less like a setback and more like useful preparation.
Defending the title
Medeama travelled to Ivory Coast as champions, having won their second Ghana Premier League title in four seasons back in May with a 5-2 win over Heart of Lions. Retaining it looks like tough work: when the 2026/27 season kicks off the weekend of September 4–7, Medeama open away to Dreams FC, then face Port City FC at home, Vision FC away in Tema, Basake Holy Stars at home in the season's first Western Derby, and Debibi United away — three away days out of their first five matches.
Between that run and the Mazembe tie, there's little margin for a slow start.
What's next
The camp in Koumassi wraps up in the coming days, after which Medeama return to Tarkwa to finalise their squad for both fronts. Saturday's defeat won't be the result Tanko wanted, but with Dreams FC waiting in September and Mazembe not long after, there's still time to sort it out.