Cameroon U20 begin their Union of Central African Football Federations (UNIFFAC) campaign against Chad’s Sao U20 at Olembe Stadium on 12 October, with kick-off scheduled for 13:00 Yaounde time.
The tournament also serves as the qualifying competition for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations U20, which will be staged in Ghana. The two finalists will secure qualification for the continental tournament.
Cameroon go into the opening match as the favourites in the group, having completed a high-quality preparation programme and showing confidence during their final training session on 11 October.
Yvan Kenmoe’s side will also have home support behind them at Olembe Stadium. Their preparation and the advantage of playing in front of their own supporters have increased expectations that Cameroon can make a strong start to the competition.
Chad, meanwhile, are returning to the tournament after several years away. The Sao U20 will have to contend with the home crowd, but their coach Abakar Allamine Mahamat says his players are ready for the challenge.
He has acknowledged Cameroon’s quality and described them as a dynamic team, while making clear that Chad will do everything possible to win the match and maintain their qualification ambitions.
The third team in the group is Central African Republic. They will play Chad on Thursday, 15 October at 13:00 before meeting Cameroon on 18 October.
Central African Republic’s Fauves reached the semi-finals at the previous edition of the competition and are considered to have a slight advantage over Chad in the contest for the group’s second qualifying place.
The UNIFFAC tournament features two groups of three teams and will run from 12 to 24 October. The top two teams in each group will progress to the semi-finals on 21 October.
The two finalists will then meet on 24 October, with both earning qualification for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations U20 in Ghana.