By Angu Lesley
Football Writer,kick442.com-Cameroon
Cameroon will host the UNIFFAC Zone qualifiers for the 2027 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations from October 12 to 24, with six Central African nations set to battle in Yaoundé for places at the continental finals.
The tournament brings together Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo, Gabon, Central African Republic and Chad, with the competition serving as the Central African pathway to the TotalEnergies CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations Ghana 2027.
The latest edition of the UNIFFAC U-20 qualifiers was staged in Brazzaville, Congo, in 2025, where the Democratic Republic of Congo emerged as champions. The Leopards defeated Congo in the final to claim the regional title and subsequently represented Central Africa at the 2025 U-20 AFCON in Egypt.
DR Congo therefore arrive in Yaoundé as the defending UNIFFAC champions, while Cameroon will be looking to reclaim the regional crown. CAF records show that Cameroon won the UNIFFAC U-20 tournament in 2021, before Congo took the title in 2022, Gabon in 2023 and DR Congo in 2024.
The Indomitable Lions U-20 are being prepared by coach Ivan Kenmoe, who has already assembled his players in camp as preparations intensify ahead of the competition. Other participating nations have also begun their respective preparations, with DR Congo, for example, having gone through training camps in Lubumbashi and Dakar before travelling to Yaoundé.
Interestingly, UNIFFAC has eight member associations, but only six are expected to take part in this year’s U-20 qualifying tournament. Equatorial Guinea and São Tomé and Príncipe will be absent, leaving Cameroon, DR Congo, Congo, Gabon, Chad and Central African Republic to contest the qualification places. CAF’s documentation lists UNIFFAC as an eight-member regional union.
Unlike previous editions in which the regional champion secured the zone’s ticket, the 2026 qualifying tournament carries two qualification places for the 2027 U-20 AFCON. The Central African battle in Yaoundé will therefore determine which two nations progress to Ghana.
The stakes go beyond regional honours. Ghana will host the 2027 CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, with CAF confirming that the tournament will feature 12 teams. The competition will also serve as the pathway to the FIFA U-20 World Cup, with the top four teams at the U-20 AFCON earning Africa’s four places at the global finals.
The U-20 AFCON has traditionally been one of the continent’s most important stages for emerging talent. Cameroon are among the competition’s former champions, having won the continental title in 1995, while Nigeria remain the most successful nation with five titles. The latest champions are South Africa, who won the 2025 edition in Egypt.
For the young players arriving in Yaoundé, the UNIFFAC tournament will consequently represent much more than a regional competition. It is the first major step towards a continental championship in Ghana and, for the four eventual African representatives, a chance to reach the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
With Cameroon enjoying home advantage and five visiting nations determined to secure one of the two available qualification places, Yaoundé is set for two weeks of intense Central African youth football from October 12 to 24.
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