Cameroon’s U20 women’s national team have booked their place in the final round of the qualification series despite suffering a narrow defeat away from home, thanks to the commanding advantage they built in the first leg.
Coach Hassan Balla and his squad saw their trip to Francistown end in disappointment on Friday, February 13, as they were beaten 1–0 by Botswana U20 women’s national team in the return leg of the third round of African qualifiers for the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup 2026.
However, the result was not enough to derail the Cameroon U20 women’s national team, who had already done the hard work in the first leg. The Young Lionesses delivered a dominant 5–0 victory in Yaoundé, giving them an unassailable aggregate lead despite the setback in Botswana.
The narrow loss marked Cameroon’s first stumble in the tie, but it did little to diminish their overall superiority across both legs. With qualification already secured, the defeat was viewed as a minor blemish rather than a cause for concern.
Cameroon now progress to the fourth and final round of the African qualifiers, where the continent’s remaining slots for the World Cup in Poland will be decided. The Young Lionesses will await confirmation of their next opponents as they move one step closer to securing a place on the global stage.
