Cameroon national football team

Cameroon

Nickname(s)	Les Lions Indomptables (The Indomitable Lions)
Association	Fédération Camerounaise de Football
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	UNIFFAC (Central Africa)
Head coach	Toni Conceição
Captain	Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting
Most caps	Rigobert Song (137)
Top scorer	Samuel Eto'o (56)[1]
Home stadium	Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo
FIFA code	CMR
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	50 (23 December 2021)[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, Democratic Republic of the Congo; 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	4 (first in 2011)
Best result	Fourth place (2020)
FIFA Confederations Cup
Appearances	3 (first in 2001)
Best result	Runners-up (2003)

The Cameroon national football team (French: Équipe 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 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[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cameroon national football team kits.

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[]

This list is incomplete; you can help by . (June 2018)

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

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

2021[]

2022[]

Coaching staff[]

Position	Name
Head coach	Toni Conceição
Assistant coach	Filipe Batista
Goalkeeping coach	Vasco Ferraz
Fitness coach	António Correia
Physiotherapist	Nuno Pontes

Coaching history[]

Players[]

Current squad[]

• The following players were called up for 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification matches.^[13]
• Match dates: 13 and 16 November 2021
• Opposition:  Malawi &  Ivory Coast
• Caps and goals correct as of: 16 November 2021, after the match against  Ivory Coast.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Simon Omossola	(1998-05-05) 5 May 1998 (age 23)	2	0	Vita Club
16	1GK	Devis Epassy	(1993-02-02) 2 February 1993 (age 28)	5	0	OFI
23	1GK	André Onana	(1996-04-02) 2 April 1996 (age 25)	20	0	Ajax
2	2DF	Jean-Claude Billong	(1993-12-28) 28 December 1993 (age 27)	3	0	Hatayspor
4	2DF	Nouhou Tolo	(1997-06-23) 23 June 1997 (age 24)	6	0	Seattle Sounders FC
5	2DF	Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui	(1990-11-23) 23 November 1990 (age 31)	44	4	Gent
15	2DF	Olivier Mbaizo	(1997-08-15) 15 August 1997 (age 24)	6	0	Philadelphia Union
20	2DF	Collins Fai	(1992-11-23) 23 November 1992 (age 29)	40	0	Standard Liège
21	2DF	Duplexe Tchamba	(1998-07-10) 10 July 1998 (age 23)	2	0	SønderjyskE
22	2DF	Jérôme Onguéné	(1997-12-22) 22 December 1997 (age 24)	8	0	Red Bull Salzburg
8	3MF	André-Frank Zambo Anguissa	(1995-11-16) 16 November 1995 (age 26)	35	5	Napoli
12	3MF	James Léa Siliki	(1996-06-12) 12 June 1996 (age 25)	5	0	Middlesbrough
14	3MF	Samuel Gouet	(1997-12-14) 14 December 1997 (age 24)	11	0	Rheindorf Altach
15	3MF	Pierre Kunde	(1995-07-26) 26 July 1995 (age 26)	24	1	Olympiacos
17	3MF	Jean Onana	(2000-01-08) 8 January 2000 (age 21)	3	0	Bordeaux
18	3MF	Martin Hongla	(1998-03-16) 16 March 1998 (age 23)	11	0	Hellas Verona
3	4FW	Moumi Ngamaleu	(1994-07-09) 9 July 1994 (age 27)	32	4	Young Boys
7	4FW	Karl Toko Ekambi	(1992-09-14) 14 September 1992 (age 29)	40	5	Lyon
9	4FW	Stéphane Bahoken	(1992-05-28) 28 May 1992 (age 29)	19	3	Angers
10	4FW	Vincent Aboubakar	(1992-01-22) 22 January 1992 (age 29)	77	25	Al-Nassr
11	4FW	Christian Bassogog	(1995-10-18) 18 October 1995 (age 26)	37	7	Shanghai Shenhua
13	4FW	Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting	(1989-03-23) 23 March 1989 (age 32)	61	17	Bayern Munich
20	4FW	Ignatius Ganago	(1999-02-16) 16 February 1999 (age 22)	7	0	Lens
21	4FW	Léandre Tawamba	(1989-12-20) 20 December 1989 (age 32)	4	0	Al-Taawoun

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	Jean Efala	(1992-08-11) 11 August 1992 (age 29)	1	0	Akwa United	v.  Mozambique, 11 October 2021
GK	Fabrice Ondoa	(1995-12-24) 24 December 1995 (age 26)	45	0	Free agent	v.  Rwanda, 30 March 2021
GK		(1994-06-02) 2 June 1994 (age 27)	6	0	PWD Bamenda	v.  Rwanda, 30 March 2021
GK	Blondy Nna Noukeu	(2001-09-17) 17 September 2001 (age 20)	0	0	Crawley Town	v.  Cape Verde, 26 March 2021 PRE
DF	Harold Moukoudi	(1997-11-27) 27 November 1997 (age 24)	7	0	Saint-Étienne	v.  Mozambique, 11 October 2021
DF	Jean-Charles Castelletto	(1995-01-26) 26 January 1995 (age 26)	3	0	Nantes	v.  Mozambique, 11 October 2021
DF	Joyskim Dawa	(1996-04-09) 9 April 1996 (age 25)	7	0	Botoșani	v.  Ivory Coast, 6 September 2021
DF	Jonathan Ngwem	(1991-07-20) 20 July 1991 (age 30)	12	0	Ceramica Cleopatra	v.  Rwanda, 30 March 2021
DF	Serge Leuko	(1993-08-04) 4 August 1993 (age 28)	7	0	Free agent	v.  Rwanda, 30 March 2021
DF	Macky Bagnack	(1995-06-07) 7 June 1995 (age 26)	4	0	Kairat	v.  Rwanda, 30 March 2021
DF	Fabrice Ngah	(1997-10-16) 16 October 1997 (age 24)	4	0	Ceramica Cleopatra	v.  Rwanda, 30 March 2021
DF		(2001-02-10) 10 February 2001 (age 20)	1	0		v.  Rwanda, 30 March 2021
MF	Yvan Neyou	(1997-01-03) 3 January 1997 (age 24)	3	0	Saint-Étienne	v.  Mozambique, 11 October 2021
MF	Arnaud Djoum	(1989-05-02) 2 May 1989 (age 32)	28	0	Apollon Limassol	v.  Nigeria, 8 June 2021
MF	Yan Eteki	(1997-08-26) 26 August 1997 (age 24)	2	0	Granada	v.  Rwanda, 30 March 2021
MF	Franck-Yves Bambock	(1995-04-07) 7 April 1995 (age 26)	0	0	Grenoble	v.  Cape Verde, 26 March 2021 PRE
FW	John Mary	(1993-03-09) 9 March 1993 (age 28)	1	0	Avispa Fukuoka	v.  Ivory Coast, 6 September 2021
FW	Clinton N'Jie	(1993-08-15) 15 August 1993 (age 28)	36	10	Dynamo Moscow	v.  Rwanda, 30 March 2021
FW		(1999-12-21) 21 December 1999 (age 22)	8	0	Riga	v.  Rwanda, 30 March 2021
FW	Serge Tabekou	(1996-10-15) 15 October 1996 (age 25)	5	1	Manisa	v.  Rwanda, 30 March 2021
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 2021^[14]

Players in bold are still active with Cameroon.

Most appearances[]

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Rigobert Song	137	5	1993–2010
2	Samuel Eto'o	118	56	1997–2014
	Geremi Njitap	118	13	1996–2010
4	Emmanuel Kundé	102	17	1979–1992
5	Jacques Songo'o	80	0	1983–2002
6	Roger Milla	77	43	1973–1994
7	Vincent Aboubakar	76	25	2010–present
8	Nicolas N'Koulou	75	2	2008–2017
9	François Omam-Biyik	73	26	1985–1998
	Carlos Kameni	73	0	2001–2019

Top goalscorers[]

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Samuel Eto'o (list)	56	118	0.47	1997–2014
2	Roger Milla	43	77	0.56	1973–1994
3	Patrick M'Boma	33	55	0.6	1995–2004
4	François Omam-Biyik	26	73	0.36	1985–1998
5	Vincent Aboubakar	25	76	0.33	2010–present
6	Alphonse Tchami	21	57	0.37	1988–1998
7	Pierre Webó	19	59	0.32	2003–2014
8	Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting	17	60	0.28	2010–present
	Emmanuel Kundé	17	102	0.17	1979–1992
9	André Kana-Biyik	15	59	0.25	1985–1994
10	Geremi Njitap	13	118	0.11	1996–2010

Competitive record[]

FIFA World Cup[]

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									6	5	0	1	14	3
2026										To be determined
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
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: 4
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	Fourth place	4th	6	2	2	2	4	8
2022	To be determined
Total	Fourth place	4/6	17	7	5	5	14	15

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

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[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cameroon national football team.

• Official website
• RSSSF archive of results 1960–
• 2010 World Cup ESPN Profile