Cameroon's Rony Baliag absent from U17 World Cup squad for Qatar
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Actu Cameroun
Cameroonian striker Rony Baliag, 15, is not on the Lions U17 squad selected for the World Cup in Qatar, despite being called up eight months earlier to the senior team by David Pagou. His absence from the squad that left for Doha on Saturday raises questions, according to Actu Cameroun.
Cameroonian striker Rony Baliag, 15, is not on the list of players selected for the U17 World Cup in Qatar, as the Lionceaux squad flew to Doha on Saturday, reports Actu Cameroun. The Galactique FA player had been called up eight months ago by David Pagou, coach of the Indomitable Lions, for a training camp with the senior national team, exposure that had raised expectations around him.
The young striker's absence contrasts with the confidence shown at the time by the technical staff, who presented him as a major hope for Cameroonian football. However, potential, maturity, consistency at club level, current form and the coach's tactical requirements differ between an invitation to the senior team and selection for an international youth competition, Actu Cameroun points out.
Cameroon is preparing to compete on the world U17 stage without the player who had been touted as one of its major hopes. This selection comes three days after the publication, on 4 November, of the report on ten players who died during a match.
Update of 8 November 2026: Rony Baliag, Omar Amir Tsombeng, Nathan Priso Awoumou and Alain Traoré, all present at the U17 Africa Cup of Nations, are not included in Cameroon's squad for the U17 World Cup in Qatar. Read: U17 World Cup: four Cameroonians absent from the squad.
