Cameroon national 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),^[a] 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.

Cameroon

Nickname(s)	Les Lions Indomptables (The Indomitable Lions)
Association	Fédération Camerounaise de Football (FECAFOOT)
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	UNIFFAC (Central Africa)
Head coach	Rigobert Song
Captain	Vincent Aboubakar
Most caps	Rigobert Song (137)
Top scorer	Samuel Eto'o (56)^[1]
Home stadium	Olembe Stadium
FIFA code	CMR
First colours Second colours Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current	41 1 (21 September 2023)^[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, DR 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, United States; 28 June 1994)  Costa Rica 5–0 Cameroon  (San José, Costa Rica; 9 March 1997)
World Cup
Appearances	8 (first in 1982)
Best result	Quarter-finals (1990)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances	20 (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 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, besting them in the 2003 Confederations Cup and 2022 FIFA World Cup by identical 1-0 scores.^[5][6]

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 defeated reigning world champion 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 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.^[7] 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.^[8]

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.^[5] 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.^[9] 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.^[10] 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.^[11] 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.^[12]

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.^[13]

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,^[14] by Vincent Aboubakar's late goal in the 89th minute of the match.^[15] 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.^[16] 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.^[17] Cameroon failed to advance from their group, however, as they finished third behind Brazil and Switzerland, respectively.^[18]

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 12th, 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.

Cameroon national football team had long-term partnership with Puma.^[19] 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.^[20] 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

Kit supplier	Period	Notes
Le Coq Sportif	1982–1987
Adidas	1988–1993
Mitre	1993–1995
Lotto	1995–1996
Adidas	1996–1997
Puma	1998–2018
Le Coq Sportif	2019–2022
One All Sports	2022–present

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

2022

Cameroon   v   Jamaica

9 November Friendly	Cameroon	1–1	Jamaica	Yaoundé, Cameroon
17:00 UTC+1	Kaiba   75'	Report	McMaster   60'	Stadium: Olembe Stadium Referee: Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo (Democratic Republic of the Congo)

Cameroon   v   Panama

18 November Friendly	Cameroon	1–1	Panama	Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
13:00 UTC+4	Choupo-Moting   48'	Report	M. Murillo   55'	Stadium: Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium Attendance: 1,500 Referee: Sultan Mohamed (United Arab Emirates)

Switzerland   v   Cameroon

24 November 2022 World Cup GS	Switzerland	1–0	Cameroon	Al Wakrah, Qatar
13:00 UTC+3	Embolo   48'	Report		Stadium: Al Janoub Stadium Attendance: 39,089 Referee: Facundo Tello (Argentina)

Cameroon   v   Serbia

28 November 2022 World Cup GS	Cameroon	3–3	Serbia	Al Wakrah, Qatar
13:00 UTC+3	Castelletto   29' Aboubakar   63' Choupo-Moting   66'	Report	Pavlović   45+1' S. Milinković-Savić   45+3' A. Mitrović   53'	Stadium: Al Janoub Stadium Attendance: 39,789 Referee: Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed (United Arab Emirates)

Cameroon   v   Brazil

2 December 2022 World Cup GS	Cameroon	1–0	Brazil	Lusail, Qatar
22:00 UTC+3	Aboubakar   90+2'	Report		Stadium: Lusail Iconic Stadium Attendance: 85,986 Referee: Ismail Elfath (United States)

2023

Cameroon   v   Namibia

24 March 2023 2023 AFCON qualification	Cameroon	1–1	Namibia	Yaoundé, Cameroon
21:30 UTC+1	Kemen   72'	Report	Shalulile   26'	Stadium: Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium Referee: Redouane Jiyed (Morocco)

Namibia   v   Cameroon

28 March 2023 2023 AFCON qualification	Namibia	2–1	Cameroon	Johannesburg, South Africa
15:00 UTC+2	Shalulile   55' Iimbondi   79'	Report	Aboubakar   90+1'	Stadium: Dobsonville Stadium Referee: Patrice Milazare (Mauritius)

Kenya   v   Cameroon

June 2023 AFCON qualification	Kenya	Cancelled	Cameroon	Kenya
Note: FIFA banned Kenya due to governmental interference in their Football Association [1]

Mexico   v   Cameroon

10 June 2023 Friendly	Mexico	2–2	Cameroon	San Diego, United States
19:00 (UTC-7)	Reyes   45+2' Álvarez   90+3'	Report	Mbeumo   37' Toko Ekambi   61'	Stadium: Snapdragon Stadium Referee: Kimbett Ward (Saint Kitts and Nevis)

Cameroon   v   Burundi

12 September 2023 2023 AFCON qualification	Cameroon	3–0	Burundi	Garoua, Cameroon
20:00 UTC+1	Mbeumo   46' Wooh   59' Aboubakar   90+3'	Report		Stadium: Roumdé Adjia Stadium Referee: Abongile Tom (South Africa)

Russia   v   Cameroon

12 October Friendly	Russia	1–0	Cameroon	Moscow, Russia
--:-- UTC+3	Chalov   40'	Report		Stadium: VTB Arena

Senegal   v   Cameroon

16 October Friendly	Senegal	1–0	Cameroon	Lens, France
	Mané   35' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Stade Bollaert-Delelis

Cameroon   v   Mauritius

November 2026 World Cup qualification

Cameroon

v

Mauritius

Cameroon

Libya   v   Cameroon

November 2026 World Cup qualification

Libya

v

Cameroon

Coaching staff

Position	Name
Head coach	Rigobert Song
Assistant coach	Sebastien Migne
	Bertrand Njiguélé
	Augustine Simo
Goalkeeping coach	Souleymanou Hamidou
Fitness coach	Pierre Ngé-Ngum

Coaching history

• Technical Committee (1960–1965)
•   Dominique Colonna (1965–1970)
•   Raymond Fobete (1970)
•   Peter Schnittger (1970–1973)
•   Vladimir Beara (1973–1975)
•   Ivan Ridanović (1976–1979)
•   Branko Žutić (1980–1982)
•   Jean Vincent (1982)
•   Radivoje Ognjanović (1982–1984)
•   Claude Le Roy (1985–1988, 1998)
•   Valery Nepomnyashchy (1988–1990)
•   Philippe Redon (1990–1993)
•   Jean Manga-Onguéné (1993–1994, 1997–1998)
•   Léonard Nseké (1994)
•   Henri Michel (1994)
•   Jules Nyongha (1994–1996, 2007)
•   Henri Depireux (1996–1997)
•   Pierre Lechantre (1998–2001)
•   Robert Corfou (2001)
•   Jean-Paul Akono (2001, 2012–2013)
•   Winfried Schäfer (2001–2004)
•   Artur Jorge (2004–2006)
•   Arie Haan (2006–2007)
•   Otto Pfister (2007–2009)
•   Thomas N'Kono (2009)
•   Paul Le Guen (2009–2010)
•   Javier Clemente (2010–2011)
•   Denis Lavagne (2011–2012)
•   Volker Finke (2013–2015)
•   Alexandre Belinga (2015–2016)
•   Hugo Broos (2016–2017)
•   Rigobert Song (2017–2018, 2022–present)^[21]
•   Clarence Seedorf (2018–2019)^[22]
•   Toni Conceição (2019–2022)^[23]

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the friendlies against Russia and Senegal on 12 and 16 October 2023.^[24]

Caps and goals correct as of 12 October 2023, after the match against Russia.^[25]

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	1GK	Fabrice Ondoa	(1995-12-24) 24 December 1995 (age 27)	46	0	Auda
	1GK	André Onana	(1996-04-02) 2 April 1996 (age 27)	35	0	Manchester United
	1GK	Devis Epassy	(1993-02-02) 2 February 1993 (age 30)	9	0	Abha
	2DF	Nouhou Tolo	(1997-06-23) 23 June 1997 (age 26)	25	0	Seattle Sounders
	2DF	Jean-Charles Castelletto	(1995-01-26) 26 January 1995 (age 28)	19	1	Nantes
	2DF	Olivier Mbaizo	(1997-08-15) 15 August 1997 (age 26)	14	0	Philadelphia Union
	2DF	Harold Moukoudi	(1997-11-27) 27 November 1997 (age 25)	13	0	AEK Athens
	2DF	Christopher Wooh	(2001-09-18) 18 September 2001 (age 22)	6	1	Rennes
	2DF	Oumar Gonzalez	(1998-02-25) 25 February 1998 (age 25)	3	0	Ajaccio
	2DF	Darlin Yongwa	(2000-09-21) 21 September 2000 (age 23)	2	0	Lorient
	2DF	Malcom Bokele	(2000-02-12) 12 February 2000 (age 23)	1	0	Bordeaux
	3MF	Pierre Kunde	(1995-07-26) 26 July 1995 (age 28)	38	1	Atromitos
	3MF	Olivier Ntcham	(1996-02-09) 9 February 1996 (age 27)	7	0	Samsunspor
	3MF	Gaël Ondoua	(1995-11-04) 4 November 1995 (age 27)	7	0	Hannover 96
	3MF	Jerome Ngom Mbekeli	(1998-09-30) 30 September 1998 (age 25)	6	0	Beveren
	3MF	Olivier Kemen	(1996-07-20) 20 July 1996 (age 27)	4	1	Kayserispor
	3MF	Benjamin Elliott	(2002-11-05) 5 November 2002 (age 20)	2	0	Reading
	4FW	Vincent Aboubakar (captain)	(1992-01-22) 22 January 1992 (age 31)	97	37	Beşiktaş
	4FW	Karl Toko Ekambi	(1992-09-14) 14 September 1992 (age 31)	56	13	Abha
	4FW	Moumi Ngamaleu	(1994-07-09) 9 July 1994 (age 29)	49	4	Dynamo Moscow
	4FW	Clinton N'Jie	(1993-08-15) 15 August 1993 (age 30)	43	10	Sivasspor
	4FW	Bryan Mbeumo	(1999-08-07) 7 August 1999 (age 24)	11	2	Brentford
	4FW	Frank Magri	(1999-09-04) 4 September 1999 (age 24)	1	0	Toulouse

Recent call-ups

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

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Marcelin Mbahbi	(2000-01-21) 21 January 2000 (age 23)	1	0	Gazelle	v.   Mexico, 10 June 2023
GK	Simon Omossola	(1998-05-05) 5 May 1998 (age 25)	2	0	Saint-Éloi Lupopo	v.   Namibia, 28 March 2023
GK	Simon Ngapandouetnbu	(2003-04-12) 12 April 2003 (age 20)	0	0	Marseille	v.   Namibia, 23 March 2023 ^PRE
GK	Haschou Kerrido	(1994-06-02) 2 June 1994 (age 29)	0	0	Union Douala	v.   Jamaica, 9 November 2022
GK	Patrick Kibiyen	(1998-09-19) 19 September 1998 (age 25)	0	0	Bamboutos	v.   Jamaica, 9 November 2022
DF	Enzo Tchato	(2002-11-23) 23 November 2002 (age 20)	1	0	Montpellier	v.   Burundi, 12 September 2023
DF	Nicolas Nkoulou	(1990-03-27) 27 March 1990 (age 33)	83	2	Free Agent	v.   Mexico, 10 June 2023
DF	Collins Fai	(1992-08-13) 13 August 1992 (age 31)	56	0	Al-Tai	v.   Mexico, 10 June 2023
DF	Bawak Etta	(1994-07-10) 10 July 1994 (age 29)	2	0	PWD Bamenda	v.   Namibia, 28 March 2023
DF	Flavien Enzo Boyomo	(2001-10-07) 7 October 2001 (age 22)	0	0	Albacete	v.   Namibia, 28 March 2023
DF	Enzo Ebosse	(1999-03-11) 11 March 1999 (age 24)	3	0	Udinese	2022 FIFA World Cup
DF	Brandon Djoufack	(1997-12-21) 21 December 1997 (age 25)	0	0	Bamboutos	v.   Jamaica, 9 November 2022
DF	Houzaifi Youssoufa	(1999-08-08) 8 August 1999 (age 24)	1	0	Coton Sport	v.   Jamaica, 9 November 2022
DF	Saidou Ibrahim	(2001-06-04) 4 June 2001 (age 22)	0	0	Fauve Azur Elite	v.   Jamaica, 9 November 2022
DF	Yves Alain Moukoko	(1990-06-26) 26 June 1990 (age 33)	1	0	Canon Yaoundé	v.   Jamaica, 9 November 2022
DF	Alfred Benga	(1986-07-31) 31 July 1986 (age 37)	0	0	Les Astres	v.   Jamaica, 9 November 2022
DF	Yannick Joachim Noah	(2004-03-11) 11 March 2004 (age 19)	0	0	Dragon Club	v.   Jamaica, 9 November 2022
DF	Che Malone	(1999-05-23) 23 May 1999 (age 24)	1	0	Coton Sport	v.   Jamaica, 9 November 2022
MF	André-Frank Zambo Anguissa	(1995-11-16) 16 November 1995 (age 27)	49	5	Napoli	v.   Russia, 12 October 2023 ^INJ
MF	Samuel Gouet	(1997-12-14) 14 December 1997 (age 25)	25	0	Mechelen	v.   Burundi, 12 September 2023
MF	François Mughe	(2004-06-16) 16 June 2004 (age 19)	0	0	Marseille	v.   Burundi, 12 September 2023
MF	Martin Hongla	(1998-03-16) 16 March 1998 (age 25)	22	0	Hellas Verona	v.   Mexico, 10 June 2023
MF	Jean Onana	(2000-01-08) 8 January 2000 (age 23)	10	0	Beşiktaş	v.   Mexico, 10 June 2023
MF	Stève Mvoué	(2002-02-02) 2 February 2002 (age 21)	1	0	Seraing	v.   Namibia, 23 March 2023 ^PRE
MF	Carlos Baleba	(2004-01-03) 3 January 2004 (age 19)	0	0	Brighton & Hove Albion	v.   Namibia, 23 March 2023 ^PRE
MF	Joseph Iyendjock	(2003-05-29) 29 May 2003 (age 20)	0	0	Union Douala	v.   Jamaica, 9 November 2022
MF	Martial Zemba Ikoung	(1999-02-18) 18 February 1999 (age 24)	1	0	APEJES Academy	v.   Jamaica, 9 November 2022
MF	Djawal Kaiba	(2003-02-08) 8 February 2003 (age 20)	1	1	Coton Sport	v.   Jamaica, 9 November 2022
MF	Félix Oukiné	(1999-12-26) 26 December 1999 (age 23)	6	1	RAAL La Louvière	v.   Jamaica, 9 November 2022
MF	Valentin Beo Bato	(1996-10-10) 10 October 1996 (age 27)	1	0	Colombe Sportive	v.   Jamaica, 9 November 2022
MF	Louis Enjonaei Mbah	(1997-04-01) 1 April 1997 (age 26)	1	0	Eding Sport	v.   Jamaica, 9 November 2022
MF	Henry Paul Tchikeu	(2000-05-20) 20 May 2000 (age 23)	0	0	Canon Yaoundé	v.   Jamaica, 9 November 2022
FW	Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (vice-captain)	(1989-03-23) 23 March 1989 (age 34)	73	20	Bayern Munich	v.   Russia, 12 October 2023 ^INJ
FW	Stéphane Bahoken	(1992-05-28) 28 May 1992 (age 31)	22	4	Kasımpaşa	v.   Mexico, 10 June 2023
FW	Ignatius Ganago	(1999-02-16) 16 February 1999 (age 24)	14	0	Nantes	v.   Mexico, 10 June 2023
FW	Emmanuel Dikongue	(1995-01-03) 3 January 1995 (age 28)	4	0	Canon Yaoundé	v.   Namibia, 28 March 2023
FW	Georges-Kévin Nkoudou	(1995-02-13) 13 February 1995 (age 28)	4	0	Beşiktaş	v.   Namibia, 23 March 2023 ^PRE
FW	Danny Loader	(2000-08-28) 28 August 2000 (age 23)	0	0	Porto	v.   Namibia, 23 March 2023 ^PRE
FW	Christian Bassogog	(1995-10-18) 18 October 1995 (age 28)	44	7	Shanghai Shenhua	2022 FIFA World Cup
FW	Jean-Pierre Nsame	(1993-05-01) 1 May 1993 (age 30)	4	0	Young Boys	2022 FIFA World Cup
FW	Souaibou Marou	(2000-12-03) 3 December 2000 (age 22)	3	1	Orlando Pirates	2022 FIFA World Cup
FW	Harisson Djonkep	(2001-04-08) 8 April 2001 (age 22)	0	0	Eding Sport	v.   Jamaica, 9 November 2022
FW	Patient Wassou	(2004-04-22) 22 April 2004 (age 19)	1	0	Coton Sport	v.   Jamaica, 9 November 2022
FW	Ebassa Emmanuel	(2000-08-22) 22 August 2000 (age 23)	0	0	Renaissance	v.   Jamaica, 9 November 2022
FW	Joseph Apam	(1998-12-31) 31 December 1998 (age 24)	1	0	APEJES Academy	v.   Jamaica, 9 November 2022
FW	Kemajou Dibani	(1995-04-12) 12 April 1995 (age 28)	1	0	Bamboutos	v.   Jamaica, 9 November 2022
FW	Ramses Donfack	(1998-10-18) 18 October 1998 (age 25)	0	0	Coton Sport	v.   Jamaica, 9 November 2022
^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 28 March 2023^[26]

Players in bold are still active with Cameroon.

Most appearances

 

Rigobert Song is Cameroon's most capped player with 137 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	Vincent Aboubakar	96	37	2010–present
6	Nicolas Nkoulou	83	2	2008–present
7	Jacques Songo'o	80	0	1983–2002
8	Roger Milla	77	43	1973–1994
9	François Omam-Biyik	73	26	1985–1998
	Carlos Kameni	73	0	2001–2019
	Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting	73	20	2010–present

Top goalscorers

 

Samuel Eto'o is Cameroon's top goalscorer with 56 goals.

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	Vincent Aboubakar	37	96	0.39	2010–present
4	Patrick M'Boma	33	55	0.6	1995–2004
5	François Omam-Biyik	26	73	0.36	1985–1998
6	Alphonse Tchami	21	57	0.37	1988–1998
7	Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting	20	73	0.27	2010–present
8	Pierre Webó	19	59	0.32	2003–2014
9	Emmanuel Kundé	17	102	0.17	1979–1992
10	André Kana-Biyik	15	59	0.25	1985–1994

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

Main article: Cameroon at the FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record											FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		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	0	2	1	3
1978											2	0	1	1	2	4
1982	Group stage	17th	3	0	3	0	1	1	Squad		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	Squad		8	6	1	1	12	6
1994	Group stage	22nd	3	0	1	2	3	11	Squad		8	5	2	1	14	4
1998		25th	3	0	2	1	2	5	Squad		6	4	2	0	10	4
2002		20th	3	1	1	1	2	3	Squad		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	Squad		12	9	2	1	23	4
2014		32nd	3	0	0	3	1	9	Squad		8	5	2	1	12	4
2018	Did not qualify										8	2	5	1	10	9
2022	Group stage	19th	3	1	1	1	4	4	Squad		8	6	0	2	14	5
2026	To be determined										To be determined
Total	Quarter-finals	8/22	26	5	8	13	22	47	—		95	57	22	16	157	71

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

Main article: Cameroon at the 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	Third place	3rd	7	4	3	0	14	7
2023	Qualified
2025	To be determined
Total	5 Titles	20/33	91	45	30	16	137	82

*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	Qualified
Total	Fourth place	4/6	17	7	5	5	14	15

Summer Olympics

Olympic Games record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	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

See also: Cameroon national under-23 football team

African Games
Year	Result	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1978|th	3	0	2	1	2	3
1987	4th	5	2	2	1	11	8
Total	2/4	0	0	0	0	0	0

Honours

Major

• FIFA Confederations Cup
  •   Runners-up (1): 2003
•   Africa Cup of Nations
  •   Winners (5): 1984, 1988, 2000, 2002, 2017
  •   Runners-up (2): 1986, 2008
  •   Third place (2): 1972, 2021
• Afro-Asian Cup of Nations
  •   Winners (1): 1985

Minor

• Nehru Cup
  • Runners-up (1): 2012

See also

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

Footnotes

1. Most of the national sporting teams in Cameroon go by this name, including the Cameroon national rugby league team.^[4]

References

1. . FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 18 June 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
2. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
3. Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 18 October 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
4. Campton, Nick (5 September 2022). "The last hunt of Carol Manga, rugby league's indomitable lion of Cameroon". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. from the original on 4 September 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
5. Mothoagae, Keba (3 December 2022). "2022 World Cup: Brazil's Incredible Record Against African Teams Broken By Cameroon". Sports Brief. from the original on 3 December 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
6. Mbale, Philemon (3 December 2022). "Qatar 2022 - Cameroon : First African team to beat Brazil in WC history". Sports News Africa. from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
7. . fifa.com. Archived from the original on 17 October 2007. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
8. . FIFA.com. 18 June 2003. Archived from the original on 10 July 2017. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
9. Radnedge, Keir (27 June 2003). "Foé dies in Confederations Cup game". The Guardian. from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
10. BBC Sport (26 June 2003). "Cameroon star Foe dies". BBC Sport. from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
11. Molinaro, John F. (21 May 2009). "Requiem for a midfielder: Remembering Marc-Vivien Foe". CBC. from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
12. AP (1 July 2003). "Henry bags Cup for France". Taipei Times. from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
13. . ESPN. 14 November 2009. Archived from the original on 27 April 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
14. "Africa Cup of Nations 2017: Cameroon 2-1 Egypt". BBC Sport. 5 February 2017. from the original on 10 November 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
15. "Afcon 2017: Cameroon's Aboubakar wins final with late goal against Egypt". The Guardian. 5 February 2017. from the original on 29 May 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
16. Reuters (29 March 2022). "Toko Ekambi scores sensational winner to send Cameroon to World Cup". espn.com. from the original on 3 December 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
17. Azzoni, Tales (2 December 2022). "Brazil tops Group G despite dramatic loss to Cameroon". The Score. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
18. Shpigel, Ben (2 December 2022). "A chaotic end to the group stage sends Brazil and Switzerland to the knockout round". The New York Times. from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
19. "PUMA Newsroom". PUMA SE. from the original on 16 July 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
20. "Fifa bans Cameroon shirts". BBC Sport. 9 March 2002. from the original on 31 March 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2009.
21. "Rigobert Song nouveau sélectionneur du Cameroun". lequipe.fr (in French). L'Équipe. 28 February 2022. from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
22. "Cameroon appoint Seedorf & Kluivert as deal for Eriksson falls through". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 4 August 2018. from the original on 12 October 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
23. "Cameroon appoint Toni Conceicao as new head coach". kingfut.com. 21 September 2019. from the original on 21 September 2019. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
24. "Cameroun : un nouveau de Ligue 1 dans la liste pour le Sénégal et la Russie !". Retrieved 4 October 2023.
25. "Russia vs. Camerun".
26. Mamrud, Roberto. "Cameroon – Record International Players". RSSSF. from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2018.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cameroon national football team.

• Official website  
• Cameroon at CAF
• Cameroon at FIFA
• RSSSF archive of results 1960–
• 2010 World Cup ESPN Profile 26 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine