Samuel Eto'o has made repeated trips to England in recent weeks to convince young Cameroonian dual nationals to join the Lionceaux ahead of the U17 World Cup, to be held in Qatar from November 19 to December 13, 2026. The president of the Cameroonian Football Federation (Fecafoot) met several players trained at leading English academies: twins Bassirou and Douka Nkoto (Manchester United), William Gueke (Manchester City) and Jaxon Tomak David (Nottingham Forest).
The approach is not new: Eto'o has already used it successfully for the senior Indomitable Lions squad, reaching out directly to families. At youth level, though, a legal obstacle threatens to complicate everything.
A presidential decree of September 26, 2014 reserves national U15 and U17 squads for players registered in Fecafoot-organized competitions. The rule has already had concrete consequences: in 2019, Étienne Eto'o, then based in Spain, was excluded along with five other players from the U17 World Cup held in Brazil for the same reason. To bring in the dual nationals scouted in England without risking a similar challenge, Fecafoot needs an amendment, clarification or waiver before the tournament kicks off in Qatar.
Originally designed to protect local training and open opportunities for homegrown young players, the 2014 text now looks out of step with rival federations' practices. Senegal and Nigeria regularly draw on their diasporas to strengthen their youth squads, players trained at top European academies.
Giving up on these dual nationals would deprive Cameroon of a genuine pool of talent to raise its U17 squad's level. Lifting the constraint, however, requires clear political will and swift coordination between Fecafoot and the authorities, at a time when tensions within Cameroonian football remain high.
The stakes go beyond sport alone: beyond the World Cup, a change to the rule would send a signal to the entire Cameroonian diaspora that the country is ready to embrace its talents regardless of where they trained.
For now, the ball is in the Cameroonian authorities' court: without a clarification of the decree before November, the dual nationals Eto'o met in England will remain ineligible, whatever their desire to wear the Lionceaux jersey.
