World cup qualifiers: lions keep american dream alive

Experts are confident that the eight-time FIFA World Cup participants have what it takes to successfully navigate their way to the 2026 global tournament despite experiencing moments of doubt and torment in the just-concluded qualifying window.

The senior men’s national football team of Cameroon has fully maintained its chances of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup despite facing moments of doubt and scare during the recent window of the qualifiers to next year’s tournament. The eight-time World Cup participants maintained the doors to the United States, Canada and Mexico soccer jamboree wide open after defeating Libya last Tuesday.

Team captain, Vincent Aboubakar and his mates outsmarted the Mediterranean Knights 3-1 at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde during the Tuesday night cracker. Cameroon bagged its three goals in the game through forwards Vincent Aboubakar and Bryan Mbeumo. Aboubakar opened the scoring at the 21^st minute. The Hatayspor center forward scored from the penalty spot after he was fouled deep into the Libyans’ penalty area after he pounded on an earlier saved Mbeumo shot.

Mbeumo got the second goal for Cameroon eight minutes after the restart of the game for the second segment. The on-fire Premier League winger sneaked the ball into the net after dribbling pass several Libyan defenders before driving the ball into the bottom corner of the net from the edge of the visitor’s penalty box. Nine minutes after the 52^nd minute goal, the Brentford winger coordinated yet another onslaught against the North Africans.

Aboubakar scored at the 61^st minute after the speedy Brentford man took a brilliant run on the right wings before placing an excellent pass to the onrushing Aboubakar who technically powered in from around the penalty area. Libya got a consolation goal at the 91^st minute after capitalizing on a minute of inattentiveness from the Lions.

The Knights drove through a long past from their own half of the pitch onto the edge of the Indomitable Lions’ box before further manipulating the ball into the net.

Lions keep American dream alive

Tuesday’s win over Libya was Cameroon’s fourth victory after six matches in the ongoing qualification series. The performance left the Indomitable Lions who are unbeaten since the ongoing qualifiers started in 2023, with 12points in the competition. The point tally leaves the five-time African champions sitting comfortably in the race to the 2026 Mundial despite a moment of doubt and scare experienced by the Cameroon team during the just ended qualification window.

The 12 points that have been gathered by the Indomitable Lions leave the team ranking second on the tentative classification despite the two points that head coach Marc Brys and his boys dropped last week when the side played out a goalless draw with Eswatini in South Africa. The African giants are ranked just one point behind their Group D’s leaders, the Blue Sharks of Cabo Verde. Cabo Verde garnered all six points in the just concluded window after beating the Mauritius Islands and Angola.

Cameroonian football pundits and experts that the present classification leaves Cameroon with a great chance of qualifying automatically from the pool. This, they say, is more importantly so for Cameroon due to the weight of the opponents that Cameroon will be facing in its last four matches of the 10-game qualifying series. Cameroon will face leaders Cabo Verde and Eswatini in September this year and tackle the Mauritius Island and Angola later in October this year during their final two matches in Group D of the 52-nation African qualification campaign.

Per Cameroonian football pundits, Cameroon has a chance of winning at least three of the four matches. They are specifically unapologetic that Angola and Eswatini which the Indomitable Lions will be hosting at home in Cameroon, don’t have a strong enough mettle to cause any trouble for the African giants. 

Mauritius Islands which Cameroon will be facing away in its last game, is equally measured to be an opponent that is not strong enough to bother the Cameroonian team. Many believe the only challenging fixture that Cameroon still has on its list in the entire campaign is the fixture against Cabo Verde in Praia in September. Cabo Verde is feared for its rising notoriety as a nightmare to team Cameroon as demonstrated during the qualifiers to the 2013 and 2021 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.

The Blue Sharks denied Cameroon a chance of qualifying for the 2013 AFCON in South Africa after eliminating the then four-time African champions in the final round of the qualifying campaign.

Lions chasing African recording-extending nineth appearance

Cameroon is chasing an African record-extending nineth appearance in the final phase of the World Cup. Some 52 African nations grouped in nine pools of six teams are competing in the ongoing African qualifiers to the 2026 World Cup. Each group winner will automatically for the tournament. The four best teams selected from across the nine teams will progress to compete in an African playoff with the winner of the series reaching the intercontinental playoffs where a qualification ticket will be up for grabs.