Cameroon on the brink: Mbeumo's last shot for the World Cup
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Reading Time: 3min | Mon. 13.10.25. | 11:41
The Indomitable Lions have no alternatives when it comes to tonight's clash against Angola (7 pm)
No more room for error.
Tonight, Cameroon plays for everything - a place at the 2026 World Cup. The Indomitable Lions host Angola at the Amadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde (7 pm), knowing only victory will keep their dream alive.
Led by Manchester United's Bryan Mbeumo, Cameroon sit on 18 points, two behind surprise group leaders Cabo Verde. The math is merciless: win, and hope for a miracle. Cabo Verde face lowly Eswatini, and only a slip-up there can open the door for Rigobert Song's men.
Even a second-place finish offers a faint lifeline and the chance to be among the four best runners-up who'll fight for the continental playoff, and then for a spot in the intercontinental playoff. The route is long, the odds slim, but hope still flickers in Yaounde.
Cameroon kept their dream alive in the previous round with a 2-0 win away to Mauritius, sealed in stoppage time by Mbeumo himself. The United winger remains the sharp edge of Indomitable Lions' attack, carrying both form and responsibility into the decisive clash.
Head coach Marc Brys knows how things stand, and was frank on the eve of the match:
"We believe in ourselves. We're not satisfied with where we stand, but we're motivated. Losing to Cabo Verde hurt us, and now our position is delicate. We must win against Angola, there's no alternative. The players are united, ready, mentally strong. We'll fight to the end.”
Across the continent, all eyes will also be on Cabo Verde. A win over Eswatini would take the tiny island nation - population of around 600,000 - to its first-ever World Cup, a fairy tale in the making.
Elsewhere, the battle for second in Group H is going down to the wire: Namibia (15 points) lead Liberia by one. Both play away - Namibia in Tunisia, Liberia against Equatorial Guinea. One thing is already certain: Ghana are back on the world stage. Kudus' late winner over the Comoros (1-0) sealed the Black Stars' WC ticket. Now, it's Cameroon's turn to see if their roar can still shake the continent.
WC QUALIFICATION AFRICA - MATCHDAY 10
Friday
South Sudan - Senegal 0-5 (0-1)
/Sarr 29, 54, Mane 46, Jackson 60 pen, Ndiaye C. 75/
Gambia - Gabon 3-4 (2-2)
/Minteh 23, Sidibeh 45+2, 47 - Aubameyang 20, 42, 62, 78/
Seychelles - Ivory Coast 0-7 (0-4)
/Sangare 7 pen, Agbadou 17, Diakite 32, Guessand 39, Diomande 55, Adingra 67, Kessie 90/
Sudan - Mauritania 0-0
Togo - DR Congo 0-1 (0-1)
/Bakambu 7/
Lesotho - Nigeria 1-2 (0-0)
/Kalake 83 - Troost-Ekong 55 pen, Adams 80/
Rwanda - Benin 0-1 (0-0)
/Tosin 80/
Sao Tome - Tunisia 0-6 (0-3)
/Chaouat 36, Saad 39, 43, Gharbi 47, Ben Romdhane 68 pen, 90/
Zimbabwe - South Africa 0-0
Sunday
Zambia - Niger 0-1 (0-0)
/Sosah 56/
Chad - Central African Republic 2-3 (0-2)
/Ecua 53, Mouandilmadji 87 - Mokonou 3, Baboula 31, Namnganda 90+3/
Burkina Faso - Ethiopia 3-1 (0-0)
/Kabore 65, 82, 90+6 - Ayten 84/
Djibouti - Sierra Leone 1-2 (1-1)
/Farah 29 - Bah 45+2, Tarawallie 72/
Egypt - Guinea-Bissau 1-0 (0-0)
/Hamdi 10/
Ghana - Comoros 1-0 (0-0)
/Kudus 47/
Mali - Madagascar 4-1 (2-0)
/Nene 39, Sinayoko 10,64, Diarra 90+5 - N'Zi 90/
Monday
16.00: (2.00) Equatorial Guinea (3.35) Liberia (4.00)
16.00: (17.0) Sao Tome (7.25) Malawi (1.17)
16.00: (5.80) South Sudan (3.50) Togo (1.67)
16.00: (1.47) Tunisia (4.00) Namibia (8.00)
19.00: (1.32) Cameroon (4.80) Angola (11.0)
19.00: (1.15) Cape Verde (7.50) Eswatini (20.0)
19.00: (4.00) Lesotho (3.35) Zimbabwe (2.00)
19.00: (7.25) Mauritius (4.00) Libya (1.50)
***odds are subject to change***
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