Cameroon national football team
 | ||||
| Nickname(s) |
Les Lions Indomptables (The Indomitable Lions) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Fédération Camerounaise de Football | |||
| Sub-confederation |
UNIFFAC (Central Africa) | |||
| Confederation | CAF (Africa) | |||
| Head coach | Volker Finke | |||
| Captain | Stéphane Mbia | |||
| Most caps | Rigobert Song (137) | |||
| Top scorer | Samuel Eto'o (56) | |||
| Home stadium | Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo | |||
| FIFA code | CMR | |||
| FIFA ranking |
48  1 (9 April 2015) | |||
| Highest FIFA ranking | 11 (November 2006) | |||
| Lowest FIFA ranking | 79 (February 2013) | |||
| Elo ranking | 55 (31 March 2015) | |||
| Highest Elo ranking | 12 (June 2003) | |||
| Lowest Elo ranking | 76 (April 1995) | |||
| ||||
| First international | ||||
 Belgian Congo 3–2 French Cameroon  (Belgian Congo; September 1956) | ||||
| Biggest win | ||||
.svg.png){kind=small} Cameroon 9–0 Chad  (DR Congo; April 1965) | ||||
| Biggest defeat | ||||
 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-final: 1990 | |||
| Africa Cup of Nations | ||||
| Appearances | 16 (First in 1970) | |||
| Best result | Champions: 1984, 1988, 2000 and 2002 | |||
| Confederations Cup | ||||
| Appearances | 2 (First in 2001) | |||
| Best result | Runners-up: 2003 | |||
The Cameroon national football team, nicknamed in French Les Lions Indomptables (The Indomitable Lions), is the national team of Cameroon. It is controlled by the Fédération Camerounaise de Football and 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 World Cup, in 1990, losing to England in extra time. They have also won four Africa Cup of Nations titles.
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 Italy- future winners, 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 Côte d'Ivoire. 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. In the second half however 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. Lineker made it 3–2 for England with a penalty in the 105th minute. The team was coached by Russian manager and former player Valeri Nepomniachi.
FIFA 1994 World Cup
The 1994 World Cup in the USA 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 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.
FIFA 1998 World Cup
The 1998 World Cup in France saw the increase of 24 to 32 teams. Cameroon qualified alongside five 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.[1] 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 Micheal 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 with Germany, 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.
Missing out on Germany 2006
In the 2006 World Cup qualifying round Cameroon were drawn into group 3 with Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Libya, Sudan, and Benin. Cameroon led the group for most of the time until their final game when Pierre Wome Nleng failed to convert a late penalty. On October 8, 2005 Cameroon drew with Egypt 1–1 while Côte d'Ivoire defeated Sudan 3–1. This result prevented Cameroon from making the World Cup.
2010 World Cup Qualification
In Cameroon's 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign, the team was grouped with the Gabon, Togo, and Moroccan national football teams. 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 got a win against Gabon in Libreville, followed by another win against the Panthers four days later in Yaounde. One month later, they defeated Togo in Yaounde by 3 goals. On November 14, 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 Lome. Both results caused Cameroon to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.[2]
The Indomitable Lions were the first team to be mathematically eliminated in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, going out in their second group match to Denmark after losing it 1–2, following 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, didn't allow Cameroon to use the same kits at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and black sleeves were added to the shirts.[3] 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.
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.
World Cup record
| FIFA World Cup record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
 1930 to  1962 |
Did Not Enter | |||||||
 1966 |
Withdrew | |||||||
 1970 to  1978 |
Did Not Enter | |||||||
 1982 |
Group Stage | 17th | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1986 |
Did Not Qualify | |||||||
 1990 |
Quarter-Finals | 7th | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 9 |
 1994 |
Group Stage | 22nd | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 11 |
| 1998 |
25th | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | |
  2002 |
20th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
 2006 |
Did Not Qualify | |||||||
 2010 |
Group Stage | 31st | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
 2014 |
32nd | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 9 | |
| 2018 |
To Be Determined | |||||||
 2022 | ||||||||
| Total | Quarter-Final | 7/20 | 23 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 18 | 43 |
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 |
To Be Determined | ||||||||
| 2021 | |||||||||
| Total | Runners-up | 2/9 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 5 | - |
Africa Cup of Nations record
| Host nation(s) / Year | Round | Position | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.svg.png){kind=small} 1957 to  1965 | Did Not Enter | |||||||
.svg.png){kind=small} 1968 | Did Not Qualify | |||||||
| 1970 | Group Stage | 5th | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 |
| 1972 | Third Place | 3rd | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 5 |
.svg.png){kind=small} 1974 to  1980 | Did Not Qualify | |||||||
.svg.png){kind=small} 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 | Quarter-Finals | 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 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 2017 | To Be Determined | |||||||
| 2019 | Qualified as host | |||||||
| 2021 | To Be Determined | |||||||
 2023 | ||||||||
| Total | 4 Titles | 16/29 | 71 | 37 | 20 | 14 | 110 | 67 |
- *Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.
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 | |||||||
| Total | — | 1/19 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
- Football at the Summer Olympics has been an under-23 tournament since 1992.
Recent results and fixtures
Win Draw Lose
2015
| Friendly 7 January 2015 | Cameroon |
1–1 | DR Congo  |
Yaoundé, Cameroon | ||
| 14:30 UTC+0 | Etoundi  37' |
Report | Bolasie 90' |
Stadium: Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo | ||
| Africa Cup of Nations Group Stage 20 January 2015 | Mali |
1–1 | Cameroon |
Malabo, Equatorial Guinea | ||
| 19:00 UTC+0 | S. Yatabaré 71' |
Report | Oyongo 84' |
Stadium: Nuevo Estadio de Malabo Referee: Janny Sikazwe (Zambia) | ||
| Africa Cup of Nations Group Stage 24 January 2015 | Cameroon |
1–1 | Guinea |
Malabo, Equatorial Guinea | ||
| 19:00 UTC+0 | Moukandjo 13' |
Report | Traoré 42' |
Stadium: Nuevo Estadio de Malabo Attendance: 15,000 Referee: Tessema Bamlak (Ethiopia) | ||
| Africa Cup of Nations Group Stage 28 January 2015 | Cameroon |
0–1 | Ivory Coast |
Malabo, Equatorial Guinea | ||
| 18:00 UTC+0 | Report | Gradel 35' |
Stadium: Nuevo Estadio de Malabo Attendance: 15,230 Referee: Eric Otogo-Castane (Gabon) | |||
| Friendly 25 March 2015 | Indonesia  |
0–1 | Cameroon |
Sidoarjo, Indonesia | ||
| 17:00 UTC+7 | Report | Aboubakar 35' |
Stadium: Gelora Delta Putra Stadium | |||
| Friendly 30 March 2015 | Thailand  |
2–3 | Cameroon |
Bangkok, Thailand | ||
| 19.00 UTC+8 | Deeporm 15' Chedjou 33' (o.g.) |
Report | Moukandjo 42' N'Jie 77' (pen.)Ndassi 88' |
Stadium: Rajamangala Stadium Referee: Hettikamkanamge Perera | ||
Players
Current squad
The following 22 players were called up for the Friendly Match against Indonesia on 25 March 2015 and Thailand on 30 March 2015.[4]
Caps and goals updated as of 30 March 2015 after the matches against Indonesia and Thailand.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.svg.png){kind=small}
Recent call-ups
The following players have been called up for Cameroon's squad within the past 12 months.
RET Retired from international football
Records
|
|
Managers
|
|
|
See also
References
- ↑ "Top Cards – France 1998". fifa.com. Retrieved November 21, 2009.
- ↑ "Indomitable Lions roar through to record sixth finals". ESPN. 2009-11-14. Retrieved 2010-02-04.
- ↑ "Fifa bans Cameroon shirts". BBC Sport. 2002-03-09. Retrieved 2009-11-14.
- ↑ Cameroon rilis skuad lawan Indonesia
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Roberto Mamrud & Karel Stokkermans. "Players with 100+ Caps and 30+ International Goals". RSSSF. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cameroon national football team. |
- Fédération Camerounaise de Football official site
- RSSSF archive of results 1960–
- 2010 World Cup ESPN Profile
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
.svg.png){kind=small}
.svg.png){kind=small}
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||