2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers: “This defeat is on the coach” – What went wrong for Cameroon?

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It was the worst possible time for Marc Brys to concede his first defeat as head coach of the Cameroon national team.

A damaging 1-0 defeat to Cape Verde during matchday eight of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers did not just end the Belgian’s record of 13-games unbeaten, but also cast doubts on their chances of featuring at a record-extending ninth World Cup tournament.

It was not losing to Cape Verde that was the problem. But the manner of such a one-sided blowout.

The Indomitable Lions needed to win to regain control of group D. With two games left to the qualifiers, they remained second, four points behind leaders Cape Verde. Their final matches are against Mauritius and Angola.  

Despite the setback, the team still feels they have a great chance to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The tournament will be hosted by the United States of America (USA), Canada and Mexico next year.

Only the winners of each group will qualify directly for the newly expanded 48-nation competition. The four best runners-up will compete in the second round for a place at the inter-confederation playoffs.

In this piece, CamerToday analyses Brys’ system during the Cape Verde clash and explores the reasons that could have caused the defeat and put the country’s world cup hopes in peril.

Absence of Ngadue played no part

Upsetting Cape Verde at home was going to be a tall order to put it mildly. Even before the Cape Verde clash speculation was rife over the player Brys will hand a starting role especially at the defence.

One of the main talking points heading into the match was whether Michael Ngadue would start given his return to his team after his spell from injury. Five days earlier, against bottom side Eswatini, Brys lined up Flavien Boyomo and Ngadue as centre backs with Nicolas Ngamaleu and Mahamadou Nagida on the right and left flanks respectively.

Although the Cameroon national team secured an emphatic 3-0 victory, the team’s defence appeared shaky and vulnerable at times, struggling to contain Eswatini’s sporadic but threatening attacks. Against Cape Verde, only Boyomo retained his position. Christopher Wooh replaced Ngadue, Nohou Tolo started in place of Nagida as left back while Jackson Tchatchoua was picked ahead of Ngamaleu as right back.

Although they’d played together before, the pair struggled to gel. They committed uncharacteristic and boyhood mistakes which led them to concede after the restart.

Dailon Rocha Livramento struck with a brilliant solo effort that inspired the Blue Sharks to victory. Livramento collected a pass in his own half after Carlos Baleba was dispossessed and raced past Wooh, Boyomo and Mbeumo before unleashing a clinical finish from close range that left Andre Onana no chance.

Scenes of the goal are still fresh in the memory of Indomitable Lions fans. Many have said the defenders could have done better, and lacked the experience needed to neutralize such a counter. Ngadue, they said, would have ensured the team avoided such costly mistakes.

“I do not think the absence of Ngadue played a part. The coach wanted to refresh his backline because we had just won 3-0 and I think today in international football, you want your team to be as fresh as possible because the games come fast,” United States of America based Cameroonian born football analyst Raymond Elume said.  

“Players have a lot to play, they have to jog in between their club games, national team games and many more competitions. It was not a new backline being created. They know each other. It was just unfortunate that the defeat came when this backline was constituted,” Elume added.

From the certainty of ruling out Ngadue, due to the age factors, fans are now divided over the role the 2017 AFCON winner plays in the defence. The physical imposing centre-back has a wealth of experience under his belt.

At 34, Ngadeu is arguably one of their most experienced defenders. Can he restore order in the defence and who would be an ideal partner? Or Should Brys stick to the relatively younger defenders for the last games?

“Shameful that he gets to play 90 minutes”

Vincent Aboubakar has been the regular scourge for Cape Verde. The 33-year-old striker has scored more goals (3) than any other Cameroonian player, but was a muted force during the game. The former FC Porto striker hit the radar with the national team when he scored the winner against Egypt in the final of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to inspire Cameroon to their fifth continental crown.

Aboubakar helped Cameroon to a third-place finish at the belated 2021 AFCON, which the Central African nation hosted, and was top-scorer with eight goals.

The skipper also scored the solitary goal as Cameroon made history by becoming the first African team to defeat Brazil at the World Cup. It was one of three goals he scored at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar although the team suffered a routine group stage exit.

The match-winning goal against Brazil-a powerful header from range-could be his final goal at a world cup tournament if the team fails to qualify.

This was not the first time. Aboubakar has scored several vital goals for the team. However, Elume argues that Aboubakar does not have the “competitive edge” anymore.  

“It is shameful that a player who doesn’t have a club, we have an international window, we have two games and then, he gets to play 90 minutes and 80 minutes,” Elume regretted.

According to Elume, it is unacceptable that Aboubakar starts ahead of other players like Choupo Moting, Franck Magri, and Danny Namaso, who can give the team another attacking dimension.

Choupo Moting for instance has scored 15 goals in the Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States of America (USA) with New York Red Bull. The former Paris Saint Germain (PSG) striker played about 25 minutes against Eswatini and was an unused substitute against Cape Verde.

Magri is enjoying a bright start of the season with Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 with three goals in four matches. He came off the bench against Eswatini and Cape Verde and played about 30 minutes combined.

Namaso, 19, on his part is on loan to Auxerre in the Ligue 1 from Portuguese side FC Porto and has featured in all three matches already. He replaced Ngadue on 70 minutes against Eswatini and Martin Hongla on 67 minutes against Cape Verde.

But Aboubakar started both games and played for full time against Eswatini, recording an assist and 79 minutes against Cape Verde where he looked like a shadow of himself.

Elume holds that these players had the chance to change the narrative of the game if handed adequate play time by Coach Brys.

“An  insult to our football intelligence”

If the choice of players selected has been criticised, the coach’s substitution against Cape Verde has attracted more scrutiny.

“We conceded that goal in the 54th minute. How much time did it take for the coach to be able to reshuffle his attack,” Elume questioned.

Brys made his first substitution 11 minutes after Cape Verde broke the deadlock when Magri and Namaso came in for George Kevin N’Koudou and Martin Hongla respectively.

Ten minutes to the end of the game, Brys took off Aboubakar and introduced Christian Bassogog. Nicolas Ngamaleu also replaced Bryan Mbeumo on 87 minutes while surprisingly Jean-Charles Castelletto played the remaining two minutes after coming in for Wooh at a time when many argued the team needed more attacking options.

“These are some of the things that having had people like Jules Nyonga in this country, Thomas N’Kono, Alexandre Belinga or even Jean-Paul Akono, it is an insult to our football intelligence,” Elume bemoaned.

“To be able to tell us that we have Pagou sitting on the bench, and then we are not able to have our Cameroon idea being expressed on the pitch. For me, it is an insult,” Elume added.

“One of the people in your coaching staff, Coach Ashu Bissong who has been the coach of South Sudan, it is an insult that our attack can be stifled and we concede a goal and we have 40 minutes to be able to put in an equalizer and we are not able to produce,” the expert continued.

Elume added that: “I think this defeat is a total lack of tactical brilliance, and player management. This defeat as much as the victories have been on the coach, this defeat too is on the coach,”

Invisible at home, struggling outside

Brys has enjoyed a perfect home record with six wins. But his away record has not been impressive.

Before losing to Cape Verde, for the third consecutive time away, the Indomitable Lions drew 1-1 with Equatorial Guinea after thrashing Uganda 3-0 in friendlies.

Cameroon also played a disappointing goalless draw with Eswatini, drew 1-1 with Angola in Luanda. For Brys to successfully guide the team to great effect, there is need to replicate his impressive home form out away from home.

“This is a team that has been with the coach for more than a year. So, they know the expectations of the coach, they know the tactics he employs,” Elume said.

“The coach does not have a good record when it comes to away games. His best record is when we are on the home turf. I think it begs the question, what do we do to improve our results when we are away from home,” Elume added.

“History will not remember Marc Brys unbeaten run if we do not qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026,” Elume stated.

Thriving in chaos, but time for change

The Cameroon national team has been riddled in chaos and confusion to say the least. Despite the turmoil within the team, they have managed to deliver results on the pitch. It was under such conditions that Brys made a winning start as head coach of the Indomitable Lions with a 4-1 win over Cape Verde in Yaounde.

The appointment of Brys was the latest twist in the saga. The Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT) under the leadership of Samuel Eto’o reluctantly recognised him, but Brys’ assistant and longtime ally, Joachim Mununga has been notably absent from the bench during matches.

“The problem between the federation and the ministry and Marc Brys and his assistants is the same problem that has given Marc Brys 13 matches unbeaten, ” Elume revealed.

“Cameroon historically has always been a team which has always thrived in chaos. It is not a new story. If Joachim Mununga was close to the coach, would the results have been better?” Elume questioned.

According to Elume, “the problem is not Joachim Mununga near the coach, the problem is if the coaching line up for the game is already set, why don’t we work with these coaches?”.

“You cannot tell us that you will come to a country and David Pagou and Idris Carlos Kameni are incompetent. I think that all of them have footballing minds and they should be able to come to a consensus when it comes to what needs to be done to make this team better and qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” Elume mentioned.

“Let us not forget that in some months from now we are going to be involved in the African Nations Cup. Are we going to keep this same charade in the AFCON in Morocco because if there is no unity among the technical staff we can’t expect unity on the field.”

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