Cameroon_national_football_team

Cameroon national football team

Cameroon national football team

Men's association football team

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Cameroon women's national football team.

The Cameroon national football team (French: Équipe du Cameroun de football), also known as the Indomitable Lions (French: les lions indomptables),[lower-alpha 1] represents Cameroon in men's international football. It is controlled by the Fédération Camerounaise de Football, a member of FIFA and its African confederation CAF.

Quick Facts Nickname(s), Association ...

The team has qualified for the FIFA World Cup eight times, more than any other African team, and four times in a row between 1990 and 2002. However, the team has only made it out of the group stage once. They were the first African team to reach the quarter-final of the World Cup in 1990, losing to England in extra time. They have also won five Africa Cup of Nations.

Cameroon is the first and, as of 2022, only African country to defeat Brazil in tournament play, beating them in the 2003 Confederations Cup and 2022 FIFA World Cup by identical 1-0 scores.[4][5]

History

1956–2000: early years

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 hosts, 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.

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

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.

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 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.

The 1994 World Cup in the United States saw the adjustment of representation for African teams qualifying, from two to three. Cameroon qualified along 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 lost to Brazil and Russia sealed their elimination. 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.

The 1998 World Cup in France saw the increase of 24 to 32 teams, with Cameroon one of the five countries representing Africa. Cameroon were drawn into Group B with Italy, Chile and Austria. Despite drawing with Chile and Austria (after leading 1–0 against them until the 90th minute), a 3–0 defeat to Italy saw Cameroon finish bottom of the group. Cameroon had three players sent off in the course of the tournament, more than any other team. They also had the highest card count per game of any team, collecting an average of four bookings in each match they played.[6] 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.

Post-2000

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.

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, M'Boma's goal in the 62nd minute lifted Cameroon over Egypt 1–0. Cameroon would defeat hosts Mali 3–0 in the semi-final on 7 February on route to repeating as champions by edging Senegal 3–2 on penalties following a scoreless 120 minutes on 13 February, and thereby qualifying for the 2003 Confederations Cup in France.[7]

There, the Indomitable Lions became the first African country to defeat Brazil, courtesy of Samuel Eto'o's tally in the 83rd minute of their opening match on 13 June.[4] Cameroon subsequently defeated Turkey and drew the USA before dispatching Colombia in the semi-final. However, the latter was overshadowed by the sudden on-field collapse of Cameroon midfielder Marc-Vivien Foé in the 71st minute.[8] Medics spent 45 minutes attempting to restart his heart, and although he was still alive upon arrival at the stadium's medical centre, he died shortly afterwards.[9] An autopsy determined the cause of death to have been hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an hereditary condition known to increase the risk of sudden death during physical exercise.[10] The Final on June 29 against France, consequently, became not about the game but rather an occasion for both teams and fans to honor Foé. France prevailed 1-0 following Thierry Henry's golden goal in the 7th minute of extra time, but abstained from traditional post-match celebrations. Instead, the tournament closed with one last tribute to Foé as Cameroon took a lap around the stadium holding a large photo of their fallen teammate.[11]

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 until their final game, when Pierre Womé failed to convert a late penalty. On 8 October 2005, Cameroon drew with Egypt 1–1 while eventual World Cup debutants Ivory Coast defeated Sudan 3–1, preventing Cameroon from travelling to Germany.

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.[12]

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.

Cameroon started the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations competition with a 1–1 draw to Burkina Faso, 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 goalless in 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,[13] by Vincent Aboubakar's late goal in the 89th minute of the match.[14] As champions, Cameroon qualified for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia, where they were eliminated in the group stage.

Cameroon qualified for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar via the away goals rule after defeating hosts Algeria 2–1 on 29 March 2022 thanks to Karl Toko Ekambi's winner in the 124th minute of the second leg of their CAF third round home-and-away tie with The Fennec Foxes.[15] On 2 December 2022, in the final match of Group G, The Indomitable Lions made history by becoming the first African country to defeat Brazil at the World Cup. Vincent Aboubakar netted the contest's lone goal in the 2nd minute of stoppage time, and subsequently received his second booking and dismissal for removing his shirt during his celebration. It was the Seleção's first group stage loss since a 2–1 defeat to Norway in 1998 and Cameroon's first ever World Cup win since 2002.[16] Cameroon failed to advance from their group, however, as they finished third behind Brazil and Switzerland, respectively.[17]

After the dramatic qualification process for the previous World Cup, the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon had to wait until the last day to secure their ticket for the AfCoN 2023 (scheduled to be played in January 2024) in Ivory Coast. Despite a relatively favorable draw for the qualifiers, which included Namibia, Burundi, and Kenya (the latter eliminated due to administrative interference), the Cameroonian team faced significant challenges. They struggled against the modest Namibian team, managing a 1–1 draw in Yaoundé and then suffering a 2–1 loss in South Africa. After securing a 1–0 victory over Burundi in the first leg, they needed to confirm their qualification in the second leg to avoid missing out on the continent's most prestigious competition, which would have meant watching it on television. In a packed Roumde Adja stadium on Tuesday, September 12, the Indomitable Lions secured their spot in the AfCoN 2024 thanks to goals from Bryan Mbeumo (46'), Christopher Wooh (59'), and Vincent Aboubakar (90+3').

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.

The Cameroon national football team had a long-term partnership with Puma.[18] Since 2022 it is sponsored by One All Sports.

Controversy about sleeveless and one-piece kits

Cameroon used sleeveless Puma shirts at the 2002 African Cup of Nations in Mali, which they won for the fourth time. 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.[19] 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.

Kit suppliers

More information Kit supplier, Period ...

Results and fixtures

Main article: Cameroon national football team results (2020–present)

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   Loss   Fixture

2023

June 2023 AFCON qualification Kenya  Cancelled  Cameroon Kenya
Note: FIFA banned Kenya due to governmental interference in their Football Association
10 June Friendly Mexico  2–2  Cameroon San Diego, United States
19:00 (UTC-7)
Report
Stadium: Snapdragon Stadium
Referee: Kimbett Ward (Saint Kitts and Nevis)
12 September 2023 AFCON qualification Cameroon  3–0  Burundi Garoua, Cameroon
20:00 UTC+1
Report Stadium: Roumdé Adjia Stadium
Referee: Abongile Tom (South Africa)
12 October Friendly Russia  1–0  Cameroon Moscow, Russia
--:-- UTC+3 Chalov 40' Report Stadium: VTB Arena
Attendance: 20,152
Referee: Khaled Saleh Al-Turais (Saudi Arabia)
16 October Friendly Senegal  1–0  Cameroon Lens, France
Mané 35' (pen.) Report Stadium: Stade Bollaert-Delelis
Referee: Willy Delajod (France)
17 November 2026 World Cup qualification Cameroon  3–0  Mauritius Douala, Cameroon
20:00 UTC+1
Report Stadium: Japoma Stadium
Attendance: 25,000
Referee: Ahmed Arajiga (Tanzania)
21 November 2026 World Cup qualification Libya  1–1  Cameroon Benina, Libya
18:00 UTC+2 Aleiyan 43' Report Ntcham 34' (pen.) Stadium: Benina Martyrs Stadium
Attendance: 13,450
Referee: Adissa Ligali (Benin)

2024

9 January Friendly Zambia  1–1  Cameroon Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
17:00 UTC+3
Report
Stadium: King Abdullah Sports City Stadium
15 January 2023 AFCON GS Cameroon  1–1  Guinea Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast
17:00 Magri 51' Report Bayo 10' Stadium: Charles Konan Banny Stadium
Attendance: 11,271
Referee: Mutaz Ibrahim (Libya)
19 January 2023 AFCON Senegal  3–1  Cameroon Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast
 Report
Stadium: Charles Konan Banny Stadium
Attendance: 19,176
Referee: Mahmood Ismail (Sudan)
23 January 2023 AFCON Gambia  2–3  Cameroon Bouaké, Ivory Coast
17:00
Report
Stadium: Stade de la Paix
Attendance: 24,172
Referee: Bamlak Tessema Weyesa (Ethiopia)
27 January 2023 AFCON R16 Nigeria  2–0  Cameroon Abidjan, Ivory Coast
 Report Stadium: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium
Attendance: 22,085[20]
Referee: Rédouane Jiyed (Morocco)
3 June 2026 World Cup qualification Cameroon  v  Cape Verde Cameroon
10 June 2026 World Cup qualification Angola  v  Cameroon Angola

2025

17 March 2026 World Cup qualification Eswatini  v  Cameroon Eswatini
March 2026 World Cup qualification Cameroon  v  Libya Cameroon
1 September 2026 World Cup qualification Cameroon  v  Eswatini Cameroon
8 September 2026 World Cup qualification Cape Verde  v  Cameroon Cape Verde
6 October 2026 World Cup qualification Mauritius  v  Cameroon Mauritius
13 October 2026 World Cup qualification Cameroon  v  Angola Cameroon

Coaching staff

More information Position, Name ...

Coaching history

Players

Current squad

The following players have been selected for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.[21][22]

Caps and goals correct as of 27 January 2024, after the match against Nigeria.

More information No., Pos. ...

Recent call-ups

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

More information Pos., Player ...

Records

As of 27 January 2024[23]
Players in bold are still active with Cameroon.

Most appearances

Rigobert Song is Cameroon's most capped player with 137 appearances.
More information Rank, Player ...

Top goalscorers

Samuel Eto'o is Cameroon's top goalscorer with 56 goals.
More information Rank, Player ...

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

Main article: Cameroon at the FIFA World Cup
More information FIFA World Cup, Qualification ...
More information First match, Biggest win ...

FIFA Confederations Cup

More information FIFA Confederations Cup record, Year ...

Africa Cup of Nations

Main article: Cameroon at the Africa Cup of Nations
More information Africa Cup of Nations record, Year ...
*Denotes draws including knockout matches decided on penalties.
**Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.\
More information First match, Biggest win ...

African Nations Championship

More information African Nations Championship record, Appearances: 4 ...

Summer Olympics

More information Olympic Games record, Year ...
Football at the Summer Olympics has been an under-23 tournament since 1992.

African Games

See also: Cameroon national under-23 football team
More information African Games, Year ...

Honours

Major

Minor

See also

Footnotes

  1. Most of the national sporting teams in Cameroon go by this name, including the Cameroon national rugby league team.[3]

References

  1. [1]
    "9 Samuel ETOO". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 18 June 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  2. [2]
    "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  3. [3]
    Campton, Nick (5 September 2022). "The last hunt of Carol Manga, rugby league's indomitable lion of Cameroon". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 4 September 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  4. [4]
    Mothoagae, Keba (3 December 2022). "2022 World Cup: Brazil's Incredible Record Against African Teams Broken By Cameroon". Sports Brief. Archived from the original on 3 December 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  5. [5]
    Mbale, Philemon (3 December 2022). "Qatar 2022 - Cameroon : First African team to beat Brazil in WC history". Sports News Africa. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  6. [6]
    "Top Cards – France 1998". fifa.com. Archived from the original on 17 October 2007. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
  7. [7]
    "FIFA Confederations Cup France 2003". FIFA.com. 18 June 2003. Archived from the original on 10 July 2017. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  8. [8]
    Radnedge, Keir (27 June 2003). "Foé dies in Confederations Cup game". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  9. [9]
    BBC Sport (26 June 2003). "Cameroon star Foe dies". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  10. [10]
    Molinaro, John F. (21 May 2009). "Requiem for a midfielder: Remembering Marc-Vivien Foe". CBC. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  11. [11]
    AP (1 July 2003). "Henry bags Cup for France". Taipei Times. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  12. [12]
    "Indomitable Lions roar through to record sixth finals". ESPN. 14 November 2009. Archived from the original on 27 April 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
  13. [13]
    "Africa Cup of Nations 2017: Cameroon 2-1 Egypt". BBC Sport. 5 February 2017. Archived from the original on 10 November 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  14. [14]
    "Afcon 2017: Cameroon's Aboubakar wins final with late goal against Egypt". The Guardian. 5 February 2017. Archived from the original on 29 May 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  15. [15]
    "Toko Ekambi scores sensational winner to send Cameroon to World Cup". espn.com. Reuters. 29 March 2022. Archived from the original on 3 December 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  16. [16]
    Azzoni, Tales (2 December 2022). "Brazil tops Group G despite dramatic loss to Cameroon". The Score. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  17. [17]
    Shpigel, Ben (2 December 2022). "A chaotic end to the group stage sends Brazil and Switzerland to the knockout round". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  18. [18]
    "PUMA Newsroom". PUMA SE. Archived from the original on 16 July 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  19. [19]
    "Fifa bans Cameroon shirts". BBC Sport. 9 March 2002. Archived from the original on 31 March 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2009.
  20. [20]
    "Nigeria vs Cameroon match Report". globalsportsarchive.com. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  21. [21]
    "Cameroun : Choupo-Moting zappé pour la CAN, Mughe et un nouveau dans la liste !". 28 December 2023.
  22. [22]
    "Cameroun : Song remplace Mughe pour la CAN (officiel)". 4 January 2024.
  23. [23]
    Mamrud, Roberto. "Cameroon – Record International Players". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
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