World Cup

1982 FIFA World Cup


Cameroon qualified for their first World Cup in 1982. With the increase from 16 to 24 teams qualified Cameroon was, along with Algeria to represent Africa in Spain. Cameroon was drawn into a group with Italy, Poland and Peru. In his first game against Italy and Cameroon held in a surprising 1-1 tie, but failed to qualify for the second round.


African Nations 1984

Two years later, Cameroon qualified for the 1984 African Nations Cup, held Incoterms d'Ivoire. They finished second in their group in the first round before beating Algeria on penalties in the semi-final. In the final, Cameroon defeated Nigeria 3-1 with goals from Rene N'Djeya, Theophile Abega and Ernest Ebongué to become champions of Africa for the first time.


1990 FIFA World Cup

Cameroon qualified for the World Cup in 1990 beating Nigeria and Tunisia in the final round. In the final stage Cameroon were drawn into group B with Argentina, Romania and the Soviet Union. Cameroon defeated champions Argentina in the opening game 1-0 with a goal scored by Francois-Biyik Omama. Cameroon later defeated Romania 2-1 and lost to the Soviet Union 0-4, becoming the first side to top the World Cup Finals group with a negative goal difference. In the second round Cameroon defeated Colombia 2-1, with 38 years Roger Mila scored two goals in extra time. In the quarter-final against Cameroon England. After 25 minutes England David Platt scored for England. In the second, however, haft Cameroon came back with a penalty 61 minutes Emmanuel Kunde and took the lead with 65 minutes Ekékéon Eugene. England however equalized in the 83rd minute with a penalty from Gary Lineker. Lineker made in 3-2 for England with a penalty in 105 minutes. The team was coached by Russian manager and former player Valeri Nepomniachi.


1994 FIFA World Cup

The 1994 World Cup in the USA had the adjustment of representation for three African teams qualify. Cameroon qualified with Nigeria and Morocco. In the final stage Cameroon were drawn into Group B with Sweden, Brazil and Russia. After a 2-2 draw with Sweden convincing, Cameroon were determined to make an impact. However a 3-0 loss to Brazil and a 6-1 loss to Russia. In his last game against Russia, the then 42-year-old Roger Milla became the oldest player to play and score in a final match of the World Cup.

1998 FIFA World Cup

The 1998 World Cup in France saw an increase from 24 to 32 teams. Cameroon qualified for the next five African countries. After qualifying as expected, Cameroon were drawn into Group B with Italy, Chile and Austria. While drawing with Chile and Austria, a 3-0 defeat to Italy saw Cameroon eliminated as a result. Cameroon had three players sent off during the tournament, more than any other team, despite only playing three games. They also had higher counts of cards per game of any team, collecting an average of four reserves in every game they played.


2002 FIFA World Cup

Cameroon qualified for the 2002 World Cup winning first place in their group that includes Angola, Zambia and Togo. In a warm-up game, Cameroon again came close to being the first African team to beat England with a 2-2 draw. England until now, are still undefeated by an African nation. Cameroon were drawn into Group E with Germany, Ireland and Saudi Arabia. Cameroon began with a 1-1 draw with Ireland after giving up the lead and then defeated Saudi Arabia 1-0. In his last game of Cameroon were defeated 2-0 by Germany and were eliminated by closely Irish had not lost a game.


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 took the group for most of the time until the final game. On October 8, 2005 Cameroon drew 1-1 with Egypt, while Ivory Coast defeated Sudan 3-1. This result prevented from Cameroon to the World Cup.


2010 FIFA World Cup 2010 World QualificationIn Cameroon, the team was grouped with Gabon, Togo, Morocco and the national football teams. After a slow start in his campaign with a shocking loss to Togo and a draw against Morocco, Cameroon coach, Otto Pfister, was fired and the Frenchman Paul Le Guen was appointed as the new coach. Le Guen has caused a rise in spirits of Cameroon as they managed a victory against Gabon in Libreville, followed by another victory against the Panthers, four days later in Yaounde. A month later, they beat Togo in Yaounde by 3 goals. On November 14, 2009, Cameroon defeated the Atlas Lions of Morocco 2-0 in their last game of his campaign. Gabon was also defeated 1-0 in Lome Togo. Both results led to Cameroon to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
The Indomitable Lions were the first team to be mathematically eliminated in the 2010 World Cup, starting out in the second group to Denmark after losing it 1-2 after a 0-1 defeat to Japan.