David Pagou unveiled his 26-man squad for the opening rounds of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers at FECAFOOT headquarters on September 7. Cameroon will face Comoros on September 24, travel to Congo five days later, then play a friendly against Côte d'Ivoire on October 3.
The biggest shake-up in the list isn't down to the coach's choice: André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, the Lions' long-serving captain and a 66-cap international, announced his international retirement on September 1. FECAFOOT president Samuel Eto'o paid him a pointed tribute — "I'll be waiting for you," he wrote, adding: "You have to lift that trophy, Captain. And you will lift it."
Carlos Baleba is also missing, but for an entirely different reason: the midfielder, freshly transferred to Manchester United, injured his ankle in preseason and isn't expected back before mid-September. His absence is no coaching decision.
That leaves James Eto'o, the only one of the three absentees whose case involves neither injury nor retirement. The CSKA Sofia midfielder, who just extended his contract to 2029 and has 4 goals and 8 assists this season in Bulgaria's top flight, is not in the squad — barely a year after his first cap, on June 6, 2025 against Uganda.
His omission is part of a wider shift: Vincent Aboubakar, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Michael Ngadeu, Nouhou Tolo and Georges-Kévin Nkoudou were also left out, while André Onana remains out of the goalkeeping picture. Pagou signaled this direction as early as March 2026: strengthening the squad, giving young talents from domestic leagues a chance, and building the future "with serenity." Bryan Mbeumo, the only holdover from the old guard alongside Samuel Kotto and Jackson Tchatchoua, is now the new face of Cameroon's attack.
