World cup qualifiers: lions must devour mediterranean knights to stay top

The Indomitable Lions are expected to get the better of the Mediterranean Knights of Libya to reposition themselves in a comfortable seat in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying race after last Wednesday’s stalemate with Eswatini.

The senior men’s national football team will take on Libya this Tuesday in match day six of the qualifiers to the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament set for the United States of America, Canada and Mexico. The Indomitable Lions will lock horns with the Mediterranean Knights at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde.

The game will kick off at 8pm Cameroon time. Five-time African champions, Cameroon will face the match with hopes of redeeming themselves in the qualification race after dropping crucial points last week during their meeting with the King’s Shields of Eswatini.  Cameroon played a goalless draw with Eswatini team last Wednesday during the match day five fixture which took place in the South African northeastern city of Mbombela.

The result led to Cameroon losing the top seat in Group D for the first time since the ongoing qualifiers flagged off in 2023. The virgin tie left Cameroon dropping to the second position with nine points, a point behind leaders Cabo Verde and just four points ahead of Angola on position four.

Lions in dire need of victory over Libya

The drop on the tentative classification in the pool means Cameroon needs to win tomorrow’s game at all cost if the nation wants to bounce back and put everything under control in the qualification race. At least, by the end of the current international window which will round of with match day six games in the race to the 2026 American World Cup.

A possible victory for Cameroon over Libya this Tuesday will put the Indomitable Lions’ tally at 12points. That point tally will have Cameroon enjoying a two-point lead at the top of the tentative classification table if the Black Antelopes of Angola beat the Blue Sharks of Cabo Verde when the two nations come up head-to-head at 5pm today.

In a case where Cameroon is outsmarted by Libya in Yaounde, the Indomitable Lions will risk ending the current window sitting on the fourth spot in the Group D’s tentative classification table, down from the top seat that it held at the start of the series last week. In case Cameroon losses and Angola outsmarts Cabo Verde at home, Libya will move to the top spot in the pool with 11points, followed by Angola and Cabo Verde on the second and third positions with 10 points each.

The ranking will leave Cameroon sweating ahead of the two final windows of the qualifying campaign where the Indomitable Lions will be facing Mauritius Island and Cabo Verde away and Angola and Eswatini at home.

Lions calm of Libyan Knights’ challenge

Since last week, the team has been holding training sessions at the Military Stadium and other facilities in Yaounde. Yesterday, the head coach Marc Brys-led outfit had a reconnaissance training session at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium where the match will take place. Some 52 countries are currently engaged in qualifiers to the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the level of the African continent.

Each of the over 50 teams will play a total of 10 matches across the nine different groups. The top team of each pool will automatically qualify for the 2026 Mundial. The best four runner up teams across the different groups will progress to compete in an intercontinental qualification tournament in a race to grab one additional qualification ticket. The Indomitable Lions are chasing a record nineth qualification ticket to the final phase of the FIFA World Cup competition.