FIFA Series tourney: Lions in action against Australia today.

The Lions will be facing Australia for the first time in close to 10 years. Both nations last clashed during the 2017 Confederation Cup in St. Petersburg, Russia. The game ended in a 1-1 stalemate. 

Cameroon’s goal scorer during the country's only game against Australia, Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa, has not been called up for today's game. 

The five-time African champions will also be without Manchester United star, Bryan Mbeumo, who withdrew from the squad due to injury. 

Other regulars like Carlos Baleba, Junior Tchamadeu, Christian Bassogog also failed to make the cut. 

Lions eye win on return

Cameroon will be eyeing their first win against Australia, who are host of the FIFA Series Tournament Asian Football Confederation, AFC group. Australia have suffered defeat in their last three matches against Colombia, Venezuela, and the United States of America, USA. Their last win was on November 10 in a narrow 1-0 win over Canada. 

The Lions last played a competitive game in January. This was during the quarter-final of the African Cup of Nations, AFCON, which they lost to host, Morocco. 

Lions head coach, David Pagou, who was appointed on December 1, 2025, has been in charge of five matches with three wins, a draw and a defeat. 

The team held their last training session at the Jubilee Stadium in Carlton, Australia. After the game against Australia, Pagou and his team will face China on March 31. China takes on Curacao in their first match today. 

It should be recalled that the 2026 edition of the FIFA Series tournament kicked-off on Wednesday, March 25, and will run until March 31.

It will feature 50 national teams, representing almost a quarter of FIFA’s 211 member associations. They have been drawn in 13 groups of three or four teams each.

In the opening fixture, Kazakhstan defeated Namibia 2-0. Other nations like the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Aruba secured wins in their first games. 

Newcomers, returnee set targets 

Twelve players were handed maiden call-ups to the Cameroon national team. Two of the four homebased players from the Elite One championship in the last say they are determined to show flashes of their brilliance on their debuts. 

Panthere Sportive of the Nde winger, Konrad Nfanseu, described his call up as “a pleasure and dream come true”. The pacy winger said the training for the tournament was intense and the atmosphere in the team is great. 

“…my goal is to perform and earn the coach’s trust. So, I will give it my all because we all want to play. And I will not miss my chance to seize the opportunity,” Konrad said on FECAFOOT TV. 

On his part, Mael Fernandez Monyebe, striker for Gazelle FA of Garoua, said he was “very emotional” to train with foreign-based players he watched at the AFCON, but said he was prepared for the challenge ahead. 

“I am always going to give my best and show my qualities to the world in the hope that my qualities will help the team win the double confrontation,” Monyebe said on FECAFOOT TV. 

Blondy Nna Noukeu, goalkeeper of the Indomitable Lions, is keen to stamp his mark on his return with the team. 

The goalkeeper of French second tier club, US Boulogne, said: “It is an immense joy for me to be back with the national team. It is a moment I’d waited a long time and have worked extremely hard toward”. 

He described the group as “very focused”, with sessions full of “quality, intensity, determination, and concentration into the session”. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3743 of Friday March 27, 2026