Cameroon

Nickname(s)	(The Indomitable Lions)
Association	Fédération Camerounaise de Football
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
	UNIFFAC (Central Africa)
Head coach	Toni Conceição
Captain	Jean-Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting
Most caps	Rigobert Song (137)
Top scorer	Samuel Eto'o (56)[1]
Home stadium	Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo
FIFA code	CMR
FIFA ranking
Current	50 (10 December 2020)[2]
Highest	11 (November 2006 - January 2007, November - December 2009)
Lowest	79 (February - March 2013)
First international
Belgian Congo 3-2 French Cameroon (Belgian Congo; September 1956)
Biggest win
Cameroon 9-0 Chad  (Kinshasa, Congo Kinshasa; 7 April 1965)
Biggest defeat
South Korea 5-0 Cameroon  (Seoul, South Korea; 4 October 1984)  Norway 6-1 Cameroon  (Oslo, Norway; 31 October 1990)  Russia 6-1 Cameroon  (Palo Alto, California, USA; 28 June 1994)  Costa Rica 5-0 Cameroon  (San José, Costa Rica; 9 March 1997)
World Cup
Appearances	7 (first in 1982)
Best result	Quarter-finals, 1990
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances	19 (first in 1970)
Best result	Champions, 1984, 1988, 2000, 2002, 2017
African Nations Championship
Appearances	1 (first in 2016)
Best result	Quarter-finals, 2016
Confederations Cup
Appearances	3 (first in 2001)
Best result	Second place, 2003

The Cameroon national football team, (French: Équipe nationale du camerounaise de football) represents Cameroon in men's international football and It is controlled by the Fédération Camerounaise de Football. The team has qualified seven times for the FIFA World Cup, more than any other African team (in 1982, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2010 and 2014). However, the team has only made it once out of the group stage. They were the first African team to reach the quarter-final of the FIFA World Cup in 1990, losing to England in extra time. They have also won five Africa Cup of Nations and Olympic gold in 2000. The team represents Cameroon both in FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF).

History

First games

Cameroon played its first match against Belgian Congo in 1956, losing 3-2. They first qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations in 1970, but were knocked out in the first round. Two years later, as host nation, the Indomitable Lions finished third after being knocked out by their neighbours and future champions Congo in the 1972 Africa Cup of Nations. They would not qualify for the competition for another ten years.

FIFA 1982 World Cup - the first time

Cameroon qualified for its first FIFA World Cup in 1982. With the increase of 16 to 24 teams Cameroon qualified along with Algeria to represent Africa in Spain. Cameroon was drawn into Group 1 with eventual winners Italy, Poland, and Peru. In their first game, Cameroon faced Peru and drew 0-0. They then had a second goalless draw with Poland before a surprise 1-1 draw with Italy. Despite being unbeaten they failed to qualify for the second round.

African Nations, 1984

Two years later, Cameroon qualified for the 1984 Africa Cup of Nations, held in Ivory Coast. They finished second in their first-round group before beating Algeria on penalties in the semi-final. In the final, Cameroon beat Nigeria 3-1 with goals from René N'Djeya, Théophile Abega and Ernest Ebongué to become champions of Africa for the first time.

FIFA 1990 World Cup - Quarter Finals

Cameroon defeated Argentina in the first game of the 1990 World Cup

Cameroon qualified for the 1990 World Cup by surpassing Nigeria and beating Tunisia in the final round playoff. In the final tournament, Cameroon were drawn into Group B with Argentina, Romania and the Soviet Union. Cameroon defeated defending champions Argentina in the opening game 1-0 with a goal scored by François Omam-Biyik. Cameroon later defeated Romania 2-1 and lost to the Soviet Union 0-4, becoming the first side to top a World Cup Finals group with a negative goal difference. In the second round, Cameroon defeated Colombia 2-1 with the 38-year-old Roger Milla scoring two goals in the extra time.

In the quarter-finals, Cameroon faced England. After 25 minutes, England's David Platt scored for England, while in the second-half, Cameroon came back with a 61st-minute penalty from Emmanuel Kundé and took the lead with Eugène Ekéké on 65 minutes. England, however, equalized in the 83rd minute with a penalty from Gary Lineker, while Lineker again found the net via a 105th-minute penalty to make the eventual scoreline 3-2 for England. The team was coached by Russian manager and former player Valeri Nepomniachi.

1994 World Cup

The 1994 World Cup in the United States saw the adjustment of representation for three African teams qualify. Cameroon qualified with Nigeria and Morocco. In the final tournament, Cameroon were drawn into Group B with Sweden, Brazil and Russia. After a 2-2 draw against Sweden, Cameroon were determined to make an impact. However, a 3-0 loss to Brazil and a heavy 6-1 loss to Russia knocked them out. In their last game against Russia, the then 42-year-old Roger Milla became the oldest player to play and score in a World Cup finals match. The team was coached by French-born Henri Michel.

1998 World Cup

The 1998 World Cup in France saw the increase of 24 to 32 teams. Cameroon qualified alongside four other African countries. After qualifying as expected, Cameroon were drawn into Group B with Italy, Chile and Austria. Despite drawing with Chile and Austria, a 3-0 defeat to Italy saw Cameroon finish bottom of the group, and they were eliminated as a result. It was an unfortunate elimination, since Cameroon had led Austria 1-0 until the 90th minute, and had two goals dubiously ruled out in a 1-1 draw with Chile. Cameroon had three players sent off in the course of the tournament, more than any other team, despite only playing three games out of a possible seven. They also had the highest card count per game of any team, collecting an average of four bookings in each match they played.^[4] It was also during this tournament that a certain Samuel Eto'o was exposed to Cameroonians. He was the youngest player of the tournament alongside Michael Owen of England. The team was coached by French-born Claude Le Roy.

2002 FIFA World Cup

Cameroon qualified for the 2002 World Cup in Korea-Japan, clinching first place in their group which included Angola, Zambia and Togo. Cameroon were drawn into Group E alongside Germany, the Republic of Ireland and Saudi Arabia. Cameroon started with a 1-1 draw with Ireland after giving up the lead and later defeated Saudi Arabia 1-0. In their last game, Cameroon were defeated 2-0 by Germany and were narrowly eliminated by the Irish, who had not lost a game.

The death of a team member

In the 72nd minute of the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup semi-final between Cameroon and Colombia, midfielder Marc-Vivien Foé collapsed; he was pronounced dead several hours later. In the final against France, Cameroon wore shirts embroidered with Foé's name and dates of birth and death.

Missing out on Germany 2006

In the 2006 World Cup qualifying round, Cameroon were drawn into Group 3 with the Ivory Coast, Egypt, Libya, Sudan and Benin. Cameroon led the group for most of the time until their final game, when Pierre Womé failed to convert a late penalty. On 8 October 2005, Cameroon drew with Egypt 1-1 while the Ivory Coast defeated Sudan 3-1, results which prevented Cameroon from qualifying to the World Cup.

2010 World Cup qualification

In Cameroon's 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign, the team was grouped with Gabon, Togo and Morocco. After a slow start in their campaign with a loss to Togo, the coach of Cameroon, Otto Pfister, resigned. Frenchman Paul Le Guen was appointed as the new coach after a draw against Morocco. Le Guen's appointment caused an uprise in Cameroon's spirits as they earned a win against Gabon in Libreville, followed by another win against the Panthers four days later in Yaoundé. One month later, they defeated Togo in Yaoundé by three goals. On 14 November 2009, Cameroon defeated the Atlas Lions of Morocco 2-0 in Fez in their last match of their campaign. Gabon was also defeated by Togo 1-0 in Lomé. Both results caused Cameroon to qualify for the 2010 World Cup finals, held in South Africa.^[5]

The Indomitable Lions were the first team to be mathematically eliminated in the 2010 World Cup, going out in their second group match to Denmark after losing 1-2, preceded by a 0-1 defeat to Japan.

Controversy about sleeveless and one-piece kits

Cameroon used sleeveless Puma shirts at the 2002 African Cup of Nations in Mali. FIFA, however, did not allow Cameroon to use the same kits as at the 2002 World Cup, and black sleeves were added to the shirts.^[6] The 2004 African Cup of Nations witnessed Cameroon again run into controversy regarding their kits. Puma had designed a one-piece kit for the Cameroon team which FIFA declared illegal, stating that the kits must have separate shirts and shorts. FIFA then imposed fines on Cameroon and deducted six points from their qualifying campaign. Puma argued that a two-piece kit is not stated as a requirement in the FIFA laws of the game. Puma, however, lost the case in court, and Cameroon were forced to wear two-piece kits, but FIFA subsequently restored the six qualifying points to Cameroon.

2003 Confederations Cup Qualifiers

Cameroon started the 2002 African Cup of Nations competition with a 1-0 win over DR Congo. That was followed by another 1-0 win against Ivory Coast, and a comfortable 3-0 win against Togo. These results led Cameroon to qualify from the group stage to the quarter-finals as their group's winner. In the Knockout stage, Cameroon met Egypt in a close match that they won 1-0 by M'Boma's goal in the 62nd minute of the game. In the Semi-finals, Cameroon met the hosts Mali and won the match 3-0 to qualify to the final.

On 13 February 2002, and after a close match, Cameroon won its fourth African Cup of Nations (repeating as champions), by beating Senegal 3-2 in a penalty shootout after a goalless draw to qualify for the 2003 Confederations Cup in France.^[7]

2017 Confederations Cup Qualifiers

Cameroon started the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations competition with a 1-1 draw to Burkina Faso. That was followed by a 2-1 win against Guinea-Bissau, and an unconvincing goalless draw against the hosts Gabon. These results were enough for Cameroon to qualify from the group stage to the quarter-finals, where they met Senegal in a close match that Cameroon won 5-4 in a penalty shootout after it had ended 0-0 after extra time. In the Semi-finals, Cameroon met Ghana and won the match 2-0 to qualify to the final.

On 5 February 2017, and after a close match, Cameroon won the African Cup of Nations for the fifth time after defeating seven-time champions Egypt 2-1 in the final,^[8] by Vincent Aboubakar's late goal in the 89th minute of the match.^[9] As champions, Cameroon qualified for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia.

Kits and crests

The Cameroon national football team's tradition color is green shirts, red shorts and yellow socks, colors of the national flag.

Cameroon national football team had long-term partnership with Puma.^[10] Since the end of 2019 its brand is Le Coq Sportif.

Kit suppliers

Kit supplier	Period	Notes
Le Coq Sportif	1982-1987
Adidas	1988-1993
Mitre	1993-1995
Lotto	1995-1996
Nike	1996
Puma	1997-2018
Le Coq Sportif	2019-present

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup										FIFA World Cup Qualifying
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930	Did Not Enter									Did Not Enter
1934
1938
1950
1954
1958
1962
1966	Withdrew									Withdrew
1970	Did Not Qualify									2	0	1	1	3	4
1974										3	1	1	1	1	3
1978										2	0	1	1	2	4
1982	Group Stage	17th	3	0	3	0	1	1		8	5	1	2	16	5
1986	Did Not Qualify									2	0	1	1	2	5
1990	Quarter Finals	7th	5	3	0	2	7	9		8	6	1	1	12	6
1994	Group stage	22nd	3	0	1	2	3	11		8	5	2	1	14	4
1998		25th	3	0	2	1	2	5		6	4	2	0	10	4
2002		20th	3	1	1	1	2	3		10	8	1	1	20	4
2006	Did Not Qualify									10	6	3	1	18	10
2010	Group Stage	31st	3	0	0	3	2	5		12	9	2	1	23	4
2014		32nd	3	0	0	3	1	9		8	5	2	1	12	4
2018	Did Not Qualify									8	2	5	1	10	9
2022	To be determined
2026
Total	Quarter-finals	7/21	23	4	7	12	18	43		87	51	23	13	143	65

FIFA Confederations Cup

FIFA Confederations Cup record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad
1992	Did not qualify
1995
1997
1999
2001	Group stage	6th	3	1	0	2	2	4	Squad
2003	Runners-up	2nd	5	3	1	1	3	1	Squad
2005	Did not qualify
2009
2013
2017	Group stage	7th	3	0	1	2	2	6	Squad
Total	Runners-up	3/10	11	4	2	5	7	11	-

Africa Cup of Nations

Africa Cup of Nations record
Host nation(s) / Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1957	Part of  France
1959
1962	Not affiliated to CAF
1963
1965	Did not enter
1968	Did not qualify
1970	Group stage	5th	3	2	0	1	7	5
1972	Third place	3rd	5	3	1	1	10	5
1974	Did not qualify
1976
1978
1980
1982	Group stage	5th	3	0	3	0	1	1
1984	Champions	1st	5	3	1	1	9	3
1986	Runners-up	2nd	5	3	2	0	8	5
1988	Champions	1st	5	3	2	0	4	1
1990	Group stage	5th	3	1	0	2	2	3
1992	Fourth place	4th	5	2	2	1	4	3
1994	Did not qualify
1996	Group stage	9th	3	1	1	1	5	7
1998	Quarter-finals	8th	4	2	1	1	5	4
2000	Champions	1st	6	3	2	1	11	5
2002	Champions	1st	6	5	1	0	9	0
2004	Quarter-finals	6th	4	1	2	1	7	6
2006		5th	4	3	1	0	8	2
2008	Runners-up	2nd	6	4	0	2	14	8
2010	Quarter-finals	7th	4	1	1	2	6	8
2012	Did not qualify
2013
2015	Group stage	13th	3	0	2	1	2	3
2017	Champions	1st	6	3	3	0	7	3
2019	Round of 16	13th	4	1	2	1	4	3
2021	Qualified as hosts
2023	To be determined
2025
Total	5 Titles	19/33	84	41	27	16	123	75

*Denotes draws including knockout matches decided on penalties.

**Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.

African Nations Championship

African Nations Championship record
Appearances: 3
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
2009	Did not qualify
2011	Quarter-finals	5th	4	3	1	0	5	0
2014	Did not qualify
2016	Quarter-finals	5th	4	2	1	1	4	4
2018	Group stage	12th	3	0	1	2	1	3
2020	Qualified as hosts
2022	To be determined
Total	Quarter-finals	3/5	11	5	3	3	10	7

Summer Olympics

Olympic Games Record
Year	Result	Position	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA
1900 to 1960	Did not enter
1964 to 1972	Did not qualify
1976	Did not enter
1980	Did not qualify
1984	Round 1	11th	3	1	0	2	3	5
1988	Did not qualify
1992-present	See Cameroon national under-23 football team
Total	Round 1	1/19	3	1	0	2	3	5

Football at the Summer Olympics has been an under-23 tournament since 1992.

African Games

Football at the African Games has been an under-23 tournament since 1991.

African Games Record
Year	Result	GP	W	D	L	GS	GA
1965	-	0	0	0	0	0	0
1973	-	0	0	0	0	0	0
1978	-	0	0	0	0	0	0
1987	-	0	0	0	0	0	0
1991-present	See Cameroon national under-23 football team
Total	4/4	0	0	0	0	0	0

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Lose

2020

Japan  v  Cameroon

9 October Friendly	Japan	0-0	Cameroon	Utrecht, Netherlands
				Stadium: Stadion Galgenwaard

Players

Current squad

• The following 24 players were called up for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Mozambique on 12 and 16 November 2020.^[11][12]
• Caps and goals are correct as of: 16 November 2020, after the match against Mozambique.^[13]

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Fabrice Ondoa	(1995-12-24) 24 December 1995 (age 25)	44	0	free agent
16	1GK	Simon Omossola	(1998-05-05) 5 May 1998 (age 22)	1	0	Coton Sport
23	1GK	André Onana	(1996-04-02) 2 April 1996 (age 24)	18	0	Ajax
2	2DF	Fabrice Ngah	(1997-10-16) 16 October 1997 (age 23)	2	0	Raja Casablanca
3	2DF	Macky Bagnack	(1995-06-07) 7 June 1995 (age 25)	2	0	Partizan
4	2DF	Harold Moukoudi	(1997-11-27) 27 November 1997 (age 23)	4	0	Saint-Étienne
5	2DF	Hervé Ngomo	(1996-06-24) 24 June 1996 (age 24)	0	0	Coton Sport
6	2DF	Ambroise Oyongo	(1991-06-22) 22 June 1991 (age 29)	48	2	Montpellier
18	2DF	Olivier Mbaizo	(1997-08-15) 15 August 1997 (age 23)	3	0	Philadelphia Union
19	2DF	Martin Hongla	(1998-03-16) 16 March 1998 (age 22)	1	0	Antwerp
21	2DF	Jean-Charles Castelletto	(1995-01-26) 26 January 1995 (age 25)	3	0	Nantes
22	2DF	Jérôme Onguéné	(1997-12-22) 22 December 1997 (age 23)	6	0	Red Bull Salzburg
8	3MF	André-Frank Zambo Anguissa	(1995-11-16) 16 November 1995 (age 25)	26	3	Fulham
12	3MF	Moumi Ngamaleu	(1994-07-09) 9 July 1994 (age 26)	22	3	Young Boys
14	3MF	Samuel Gouet	(1997-12-14) 14 December 1997 (age 23)	2	0	Rheindorf Altach
15	3MF	Pierre Kunde	(1995-07-26) 26 July 1995 (age 25)	17	0	Mainz 05
17	3MF	Arnaud Djoum	(1989-05-02) 2 May 1989 (age 31)	27	0	Al-Raed
20	3MF	Christian Bassogog	(1995-10-18) 18 October 1995 (age 25)	32	5	Henan Jianye
7	4FW	Clinton N'Jie	(1993-08-15) 15 August 1993 (age 27)	34	10	Dynamo Moscow
9	4FW	Stéphane Bahoken	(1992-05-28) 28 May 1992 (age 28)	12	3	Angers
10	4FW	Vincent Aboubakar	(1992-01-22) 22 January 1992 (age 28)	69	23	Be?ikta?
11	4FW	Karl Toko Ekambi	(1992-09-14) 14 September 1992 (age 28)	33	3	Lyon
13	4FW	Serge Tabekou	(1996-10-15) 15 October 1996 (age 24)	3	1	Mouscron

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for the team in the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Blondy Nna Noukeu	(2001-09-17) 17 September 2001 (age 19)	0	0	Stoke City	v.  Japan, 9 October 2020
GK	Boris Essele	(2000-01-25) 25 January 2000 (age 20)	0	0	Bourg-en-Bresse	v.  Japan, 9 October 2020 PRE
DF	Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui	(1990-11-23) 23 November 1990 (age 30)	36	2	Gent	v.  Japan, 9 October 2020
DF	Collins Fai	(1992-11-23) 23 November 1992 (age 28)	35	0	Standard Liège	v.  Japan, 9 October 2020
DF	Joyskim Dawa	(1996-04-09) 9 April 1996 (age 24)	7	0	Valmiera	v.  Japan, 9 October 2020
DF	Serge Leuko	(1993-08-04) 4 August 1993 (age 27)	7	0	Waasland-Beveren	v.  Japan, 9 October 2020
DF	Ahmad Ngouyamsa	(2000-12-21) 21 December 2000 (age 20)	1	0	Dijon	v.  Japan, 9 October 2020
DF	Nicolas Nkoulou	(1990-03-27) 27 March 1990 (age 30)	75	2	Torino	v.  Japan, 9 October 2020 PRE
MF	Yan Eteki	(1997-08-26) 26 August 1997 (age 23)	1	0	Granada	v.  Japan, 9 October 2020
MF	Jean Onana	(2000-01-08) 8 January 2000 (age 21)	1	0	Mouscron	v.  Japan, 9 October 2020
MF	Tsiy-William Ndenge	(1997-06-13) 13 June 1997 (age 23)	0	0	Luzern	v.  Japan, 9 October 2020
MF	Jeando Fuchs	(1997-10-11) 11 October 1997 (age 23)	2	0	Dundee United	v.  Japan, 9 October 2020 PRE
MF	Franck-Yves Bambock	(1995-04-07) 7 April 1995 (age 25)	0	0	Marítimo	v.  Japan, 9 October 2020 PRE
MF	Yvan Neyou	(1997-01-03) 3 January 1997 (age 24)	0	0	Saint-Étienne	v.  Japan, 9 October 2020 PRE
FW	Fabrice Olinga	(1996-05-12) 12 May 1996 (age 24)	21	1	Mouscron	v.  Japan, 9 October 2020
FW	Ignatius Ganago	(1999-02-16) 16 February 1999 (age 21)	4	0	Lens	v.  Japan, 9 October 2020
FW	Jean-Pierre Nsame	(1993-05-01) 1 May 1993 (age 27)	2	0	Young Boys	v.  Japan, 9 October 2020
FW	Franck Evina	(2000-07-05) 5 July 2000 (age 20)	1	0	Hannover 96	v.  Japan, 9 October 2020
FW	Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting	(1989-03-23) 23 March 1989 (age 31)	55	15	Bayern Munich	v.  Japan, 9 October 2020 PRE
FW	Eric Ayuk	(1997-02-17) 17 February 1997 (age 23)	0	0	Ankaraspor	v.  Japan, 9 October 2020 PRE
INJ = Withdrew from the squad due to injury SUS = Serving suspension PRE = Preliminary squad / standby RET = Retired from international football WD = Withdrew from the squad

Records

As of 13 November 2019^[14]

Players in bold text are still active with Cameroon.

Managers

Dates Name 1960-1965 technical committee 1965-1970 Dominique Colonna 1970 Raymond Fobete 1970-1973 Peter Schnittger 1973-1975 Vladimir Beara 1976-1979 Ivan Ridanovi? 1980-1982 Branko ?uti? 1982 Jean Vincent 1982-1984 Radivoje Ognjanovi? 1985-1988 Claude Le Roy 1988-1990 Valery Nepomnyashchy 1990-1993 Philippe Redon 1993-1994 Jean Manga-Onguéné

Dates Name 1994 Léonard Nseké 1994 Henri Michel 1994-1996 Jules Nyongha 1996-1997 Henri Depireux 1997-1998 Jean Manga-Onguéné 1998 Claude Le Roy 1998-2001 Pierre Lechantre 2001 Robert Corfou 2001 Jean-Paul Akono 2001-2004 Winfried Schäfer 2004-2006 Artur Jorge 2006-2007 Arie Haan 2007 Jules Nyongha

Dates Name 2007-2009 Otto Pfister 2009 Thomas N'Kono 2009-2010 Paul Le Guen 2010-2011 Javier Clemente 2011-2012 Denis Lavagne 2012-2013 Jean-Paul Akono 2013-2015 Volker Finke 2015-2016 Alexandre Belinga 2016-2017 Hugo Broos 2017-2018 Rigobert Song 2018-2019 Clarence Seedorf[15] 2019-present Toni Conceição[16]

Honours

• FIFA World Cup

Quarter-Final (1): 1990

• Africa Cup of Nations

Winners (5): 1984, 1988, 2000, 2002, 2017

• FIFA Confederations Cup

Runners-up (1): 2003

• Summer Olympics

Winners (1): 2000

See also

• Cameroon women's national football team
• Cultural significance of the lion in Cameroon

References

External links

• Fédération Camerounaise de Football official site
• RSSSF archive of results 1960-
• 2010 World Cup ESPN Profile