Cameroon will be expecting to begin their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign with a victory when they host Mauritius in Group D on Friday.
The home side have won all four of their meetings against Mauritius, although they have not faced each other since September 2011.
Match preview
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Having qualified for seven of the last nine World Cups, failing to make that eight from 10 would represent a major failure for Cameroon given that Africa is set to profit from up to double the amount of qualifying spots for the next tournament in North America.
Indeed, the expansion of football's premier international tournament to 48 teams means that Africa's nine group winners will all automatically qualify for the World Cup, with four best runners-up fighting for an intercontinental playoff spot as well.
As top seeds in Group D, the Indomitable Lions will fancy their chances of finishing first, especially having been handed a relatively favourable draw alongside Cape Verde, Angola, Libya, Eswatini and their forthcoming opponents Mauritius.
The five-time Africa Cup of Nations winners will be hoping to build on their third-placed finish as hosts at the last tournament by making a strong start to their qualification campaign, before travelling to Ivory Coast in the New Year for the next edition of Africa's major tournament.
However, Rigobert Song's side have won just one of their last seven matches, having been defeated 1-0 by Russia and Senegal in friendlies last month. Their home game against Mauritius in Douala could provide the perfect tonic for their recent poor form, before they make the trip to Libya next week.
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Unsurprisingly, Mauritius have never qualified for a World Cup in their history, while their only appearance at AFCON came when competing in Egypt in 1974. The Dodos lost all three group games to crash out at the first stage.
As a tiny island in the Indian Ocean off the eastern coast of Africa, Mauritius' relatively small population and remote location makes it difficult for them to compete against some of Africa's powerhouse nations. As such, they may be feeling apprehensive about their forthcoming trip to Douala.
However, their recent 1-0 win against Angola - who they will host in qualifying next week - showed that they are capable of defeating higher-ranked nations than them. Fidy Rasoanaivo's side are currently ranked 177th in the world, making them bottom seeds in Group D.
Yet four wins from their last nine matches suggests they have every chance of competing against most of the other sides in their qualifying group, even if they may fall short against Cameroon on Friday.
Team News
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Cameroon will have to make do without their talismanic forward Vincent Aboubakar, who has withdrawn from the squad due to injury. The 31-year-old would have been hoping to earn his 100th cap across the next week, as he has scored 37 goals in 98 appearances for his country.
With Eric Choupo-Moting also not involved, Karl Toko Ekambi could receive a chance through the middle of the hosts' attack, with Clinton N'Jie and Bryan Mbeumo likely to flank the Abha forward. Manchester United stopper Andre Onana should oust Fabrice Ondoa in goal having put aside his differences with Song and the national federation.
Mauritius, meanwhile, will be resting the majority of their hopes on Ashley Nazira, who has scored 10 goals in 27 caps for his country.
Interestingly, the vast majority of the visitors' squad compete at club level in Mauritius or the nearby island of Reunion, with only Adel Langue of Red Star in France bucking this trend.
Cameroon possible starting lineup:
Onana; Castelletto, Moukoudi, Gonzalez, Yongwa; Ondoua, Kunde, Ntcham; Mbuemo, Ekambi, N'Jie
Mauritius possible starting lineup:
Jean-Louis; Mootoo, Vincent, Rose, Balisson; Collard, Bru; Langue, Saramandif, Villeneuve; Nazira
We say: Cameroon 3-0 Mauritius
Cameroon have been handed one of the easier groups on paper, and we expect them to begin their qualification campaign with intent by securing a comfortable victory against Mauritius.
The visitors are one of the stronger bottom seeds in Africa and boast decent form in recent times, but they are unlikely to be a match for Song's side.
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Top tip
Brett Curtis
