By Etienne Mainimo Mengnjo
The Cameroon U-20 national team has been crowned champion of the 2026 Central African Football Federations’ Union (UNIFFAC) competition, held in Cameroon from October 15 to 24.
The U20 “Lions” clinched the title on Saturday, October 15, in Yaoundé, defeating the Central African Republic 1-0 in the final. With the victory, Cameroon has also secured its place at the U20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Ghana, ending a two-edition absence from the tournament.
In a hard-fought final, Jean François Manguele scored the only goal of the match from a free kick in the 19th minute. The Central African Republic thought they had equalised in the 36th minute, but the goal was disallowed by the referee. The U20 Lions then held on until the final whistle to secure the win in front of their home crowd.
The victory marks the second time in a week that Cameroon has beaten the Central African Republic. The two teams had previously met on October 18 during the group stage, a match that ended 2-0 in Cameroon’s favour.
Throughout the competition, Cameroon won all four of their matches, scoring ten goals while conceding only one. With five goals to his name, Samuel Achu was the team’s most decisive player.
This title holds special significance for coach Yvan Kenmoe’s squad. Cameroon had not competed in the U20 AFCON since 2021 in Mauritania, where they were eliminated in the quarter-finals. They subsequently missed the next two editions: for the 2023 tournament in Egypt, they were eliminated following a 1-0 defeat to the Central African Republic, and for the 2025 edition, they finished first in their group in Brazzaville but lost the semi-final to DR Congo on penalties (1–1).
The Central African Republic, meanwhile, will be making its fourth consecutive appearance at the U20 Africa Cup of Nations.
Twelve teams will compete in the 2027 U20 AFCON, which Ghana will host for the second time (having previously done so in 1999). The four semi-finalists in the 2027 U-20 AFCON will qualify for the 2027 U20 World Cup, to be co-hosted by Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.
Ten qualifiers are already confirmed for the 2027 U20 AFCON:
- Ghana(host nation) and Burkina Faso (WAFU Zone B)
- Moroccoand Egypt (UNAF)
- Cameroonand the Central African Republic (UNIFFAC)
- Sudanand Tanzania (CECAFA)
- South Africaand Mozambique (COSAFA)
The final two spots will be contested within the WAFU Zone A, involving Guinea, The Gambia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Mauritania.
