Brentford star Mbeumo is one of many wanting to impress from Thursday as the five African qualifiers — Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia — play two warm-up matches each.<\/p>\n
Brighton defender Tariq Lamptey and Athletic Bilbao forward Inaki Williams, both born in Europe to Ghanaian parents, are among others taking advantage of a FIFA rule that permits changing allegiance.<\/p>\n
An increasing number of footballers from Europe are choosing to represent the African country where their parents or grandparents were born.<\/p>\n
Opponents for the African quintet between Thursday and Tuesday range from record five-time World Cup winners Brazil to Nicaragua, ranked 139th in the world.<\/p>\n
Here, AFP Sport reveals how the qualifiers are shaping up for the last international window until club football halts just seven days before the World Cup kicks off on November 20.<\/p>\n
Cameroon<\/p>\n
Apart from selecting Mbeumo for the first time, coach Rigobert Song has recalled Nicolas Nkoulou and George Mandjeck for matches in South Korea against the host nation and Uzbekistan.<\/p>\n
Defender Nkoulou last lined up for the Indomitable Lions five years ago and midfielder Mandjeck has not featured for the five-time African champions since 2019.<\/p>\n
“We need experienced players like Nicolas and George, who will help our new generation of players grow. They are passionate and patriotic,” said Song.<\/p>\n
Ghana<\/p>\n
Ghana have included Lamptey, Williams and former Germany youth internationals Stephan Ambrosius and Ransford-Yeboah Konigsdorffer for matches against Brazil and Nicaragua in France and Spain.<\/p>\n
There is also a place in the squad for Southampton defender Mohammed Salisu, who was born in Ghana but declined previous call-ups, saying he wanted to concentrate on his club career.<\/p>\n
Coach Otto Addo, mastermind of a shock qualification at the expense of Nigeria, has picked five Premier League players, including Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey and Crystal Palace forward Jordan Ayew.<\/p>\n
Morocco<\/p>\n
Most attention will be on Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech when six-time World Cup qualifiers Morocco tackle Chile and Paraguay at Spanish venues.<\/p>\n
He has been recalled by new coach Walid Regragui after being shunned by Bosnian Vahid Halilhodzic, who accused the Premier League player of being “untruthful” and “a trouble maker”.<\/p>\n
“We look forward to the Hakim that all Moroccans love, the one who fights on the pitch and gives everything for his country,” said former international Regragui.<\/p>\n
Senegal<\/p>\n
African champions Senegal have been hit by a string of blows before facing Bolivia and fellow qualifiers Iran in France and Slovakia.<\/p>\n
Bayern Munich full-back Bouna Sarr will miss Qatar due to knee surgery and forward Keita Balde can only play at the World Cup after the second round due to an anti-doping violation.<\/p>\n
A further concern for coach Aliou Cisse is defender Noah Fadiga — the son of 2002 Senegal World Cup midfielder Khalilou — who suffered concussion playing in France last weekend.<\/p>\n
Tunisia<\/p>\n
Consistently poor World Cup performers Tunisia will face Africa Cup of Nations surprise packets the Comoros and star-studded Brazil in France.<\/p>\n
“Tackling Brazil is a daunting task,” admits captain and leading scorer Wahbi Khazri, “but it will be a great reality check, telling us where we are strong and where we must improve”.<\/p>\n
Tunisia have won only two and lost nine of 15 matches in five World Cup appearances, with 40 years separating victories over Mexico and Panama.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
France-born English Premier League forward Bryan Mbeumo hopes switching national team loyalty to Cameroon can win him a place at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12963,"featured_media":18019,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,4],"tags":[7,14,39],"class_list":{"0":"post-18022","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"category-sports","9":"tag-apie-project","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n