The Cameroon national football team, known as the Indomitable Lions (French: les lions indomptables), represents Cameroon in men's international football. The team has a rich history filled with memorable moments, legendary players, and significant achievements on both the African and world stages.
Early Years and Africa Cup of Nations
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.
The national team has won the African Cup of Nations five times (1984, 1988, 2000, 2002, 2017), establishing themselves as one of the most successful teams in Africa.
FIFA World Cup Achievements
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.
Cameroon 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.
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The country's best performance at the world cup was in 1990, where they staged one of the most famous winning runs from an underdog.
They were the first African team to reach the quarter-final of the World Cup in 1990, losing to England in extra time. In 1990, Cameroon became the first African country to reach the quarter-finals of the 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 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 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 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. 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.
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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.
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.
Confederations Cup 2003
In the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup, Cameroon reached the final after defeating Colombia in the semi-final. However, the tournament was overshadowed by the sudden on-field collapse of Cameroon midfielder Marc-Vivien Foé in the 71st minute. 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. 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. 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.
21st Century and Recent Years
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.
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.
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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.
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. 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, by Vincent Aboubakar's late goal in the 89th minute of the match.
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. 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.
Kit Controversies
Cameroon has faced kit controversies over the years. 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. 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.
Key Players and Legends
The greatest ever footballers from Cameroon were probably Samuel Et'oo, Roger Milla, Thomas N'Kono, Joseph-Antoine Bell, Samuel Mbappe Leppe and Théophile Abega. They were automatic selections.
- Samuel Mbappe Leppe: Nicknamed "Marshall", Samuel Mbappe Leppe was a pioneer in Cameroon's football. He played at the Oryx Douala in the 1950s and 1960s, winning five Cameroon champion titles. He led his club side Oryx Bellois Douala to win the first ever African Champions Cup in 1965. He was the first real star player in Cameroon.
- Theophile Abega: Nicknamed "Doctor", Theophile Abega won the Africans' Nation Cup in 1984 as Cameroon's captain. With Canon Yaoundé, he won the 1978 African Cup of Champions Clubs, 1980 African Cup of Champions Clubs and 1979 African Cup Winners' Cup titles as well as four Cameroonian championships and five Cameroonian Cups.
- Frédéric N'Doumbé: He won Ligue 1 titles in 1964, 1967, 1968 and 1969 all with l'AS Saint-Étienne. He wa one of the first Cameroonian to play professionally in France.
- Eugène N'Jo Léa: With St.Etienne, he won the Lique 1 title while finishing as the league second highest scorer.
- Roger Milla: Became an international star after he scored 4 goals at the World Cup Finals in 1990 as Cameroon reached the quarterfinal. He was already 38 years old. In 1994, he became the oldest goal-scorer in World Cup history when he scored against Russia. He was voted the African Player of the Century.
- Jean Manga Onguene: Was the 1980 African Footballer of the Year. He played in two African Cup of Nations: 1970 and 1972.
- Patrick M'Boma: Helped the Indomitable Lions to win the Gold medal at the 2000 Olympics. He won two African Cup of Nations: 2000 and 2002.
- François Omam-Biyik: Became a national hero when he scored the goal that beat Argentina in the 1990 World Cup Finals.
- Samuel E'too: Started his career with the academy of Real Madrid, but he made his name with Mallorca. He was a part of the famous "REM" line at Barcelona where he won two Champions' league titles. He won the African Player of the Year award a record four times: in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2010.
Other notable players include Thomas N'Kono, Joseph-Antoine Bell, Rigobert Song, Geremi Njitap, and Marc-Vivien Foé.
England 3-2 Cameroon Quarter-finals World cup 1990 | Full highlight | 1080p HD
IFFHS All-Time Best XI
The IFFHS chose the following players as Cameroon's greatest All-Time Best XI:
- Thomas N'Kono
- Geremi Njitap
- Rigobert Song
- Emmanuel Kundé
- Pierre Womé
- Lauren
- Théophile Abega
- Samuel Mbappé Léppé
- Samuel Eto'o
- Roger Milla
- Patrick M'Boma
They also created a second team:
- Joseph-Antoine Bell
- Stephen Tataw
- François N'Doumbé Lea
- Ibrahim Aoudou
- Bertin Ebwellé
- Émile Mbouh
- Marc-Vivien Foé
- Cyrille Makanaky
- Jean-Pierre Tokoto
- François Omam-Biyik
- Jean Manga Onguene
Cameroon's All-Time Great Goalkeepers
Cameroon is Africa's greatest goalkeeper producing countries. Thomas N'Kono is considered to be Africa's greatest goalkeeper. He inspired Gianluigi Buffon of Italy to play goalkeeper. He was named African Player of the Year twice, which was rare for a goalkeeper to win the award. However, Joseph-Antoine Bell was named "African Goalkeeper of the Century" by IFFHS, as part of their "Century Elections" ahead N'Kono. Both were rivals in their prime. They were undisputed selections.
Cameroon was blessed with great keepers. Carlos Kameni is easily ranked in the top 10 greatest African keeper. He won an Olympic gold medal as a 16 years old. I gave the third keeper spot to Jacques Songo'o. Along with N'Kono and Bell, he was known as the Big Three of Cameroonian goalkeepers. He brought Deportivo La Coruna to their first ever La Liga title. His team was known as the "Super Depor". He was an understudy to Bell in his prime.