In Contention Meaning

(sports) Contending for a title or championship.

Example: 2011 March 1, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 2 - 1 Man Utd”[1], BBC:
  But Chelsea, who left Didier Drogba on the bench as coach Carlo Ancelotti favoured Fernando Torres, staged a stirring fightback to move up to fourth and keep United in their sights on a night when nothing other than victory would have kept the Blues in contention.
Used other than as an idiom: see in,‎ contention.