Cameroon's U23 national team coach, Guy Feutchine, has called up 30 players for a training camp to be held from March 23 to 31, 2026, in Alaves, Spain. This gathering aims to assess young talents in preparation for the 2027 U23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. The list, unveiled by FECAFOOT, includes a majority of players playing in European clubs.
The selected goalkeepers include Kevin Kamdem (Montpellier HSC), Morianne Busse (Boreham Wood FC), and Gaspard Franck Ambassa (EA Guingamp). The defense consists of Pascal Loulouga Mbome (FC Cologne), Bryan Song (FC Metz), Jayden Ngwashi (Manchester United), Stéphane Noumbissie (Lille OSC), Clancy Biten (Helsingborgs IF), Henri Deporres Hiobi Ntola (Unionistas de Salamanca), Alexi Koum (Valenciennes FC), Wilfried Ndollo Bille (Montpellier HSC), and Rony Mimb Baheng (Aubagne Air Bel).
The midfield is represented by Brandon Etamie (FK Tekstilac), Emmanuel Kiah (FC Nantes), Allen Junior Lambi (Bayern Munich), William Goueke (Manchester City), Collins Fi Akamba, Bassirou Nkoto, Pierre Epée Ngando, and Steve Mvodo Mvodo. The attack will be led by Aristide Hentcho (Bayern Munich), Macaulay Ziba (Fulham FC), Kilian Bryce Ebeling (Unionistas de Salamanca), Douka Nkoto (Manchester United), Rayan Mandengue, Harouna Djibrin, Bernard Nguene, and Ulrich Fokam.
Several dual-national players have been called up, including Jayden Ngwashi, who has already represented Italy at U16 level and England at U17 level. Bryan Song, son of legend Rigobert Song, is also part of the selection. This camp will allow Guy Feutchine to assess the potential of these young talents and best prepare for the challenges ahead.
It is worth noting that no players playing in the local Cameroonian league were included in this initial list, which has sparked reactions. Local sources suggest that some home-based players may join the group later. The training camp in Spain will include friendly matches, the opponents of which have not yet been unveiled.
The 2027 U23 Africa Cup of Nations will be held in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The qualifiers will be played between March and October 2026, with play-offs in November 2026. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed that the winners of 13 groups and the three best runners-up will qualify directly for the final phase. The other runners-up will face each other in the play-offs to determine the remaining places. This tournament will be the last to be held in odd-numbered years, as CAF announced that from 2028, the AFCON would become a quadrennial event.
This training camp in Spain is a crucial step in preparing the U23 Lions for the 2027 AFCON qualifiers, an important competition for identifying new talent and strengthening the Cameroonian national team. The absence of local players in the first list underlines the importance given to players playing abroad, but the possibility of integrating local talents remains open.
