The Cameroon national football team formed in 1959. The team affiliated to FIFA in 1962 and joined the Confederation of African Football in 1963. Cameroon is Africa’s most successful world cup team, having qualified for seven tournaments. The team has also won the Africa Cup of Nations four times.
World cup 1982
Cameroon first qualified for the 1982 world cup, just a few decades after their first international game. In the first round group stage the team drew all three matches against Italy, Peru and Poland. Despite going through the round unbeaten and scoring their first world cup goal against Italy, Cameroon did not make the second round.
World cup 1990
The 1990 world cup saw the Cameroon national football team record Africa’s best result at the finals. The team played in a first round group with Argentina, Romania and the Soviet Union. In their opening game, Cameroon defeated the then world champions Argentina 1-0. A win over Romania and loss to the Soviet Union saw the team top their group. In the knock-out round the team defeated Colombia 2-1, with thirty-eight year old Roger Milla scoring both goals. The quarter-finals saw Cameroon take on Bobby Robson’s England. Although leading with seven minutes remaining a Gary Lineker equaliser took the match into extra time and England won 3-2 with a 105th minute penalty.
World cup 1994
Cameroon again qualified for the 1994 world cup, held in the United States. Despite a 2-2 draw with Sweden in their opening match, heavy defeats to Brazil and Russia saw the team leave at the first round stage. In the 6-1 loss to Russia, Roger Milla became the oldest player to score at a world cup at the age of forty-two.
World cup 1998
The 1998 world cup campaign is remembered more for Cameroon’s indiscipline than their football. In just three games the team picked up three red cards and averages four cards per game. In the group stage, draws with Austria and Chile plus a defeat to Italy saw the team eliminated.
World cup 2002
The Cameroon national football team fared slightly better at the 2002 world cup. The first round group stage saw the team play Germany, Ireland and Saudi Arabia. A draw with Ireland and a win over Saudi Arabia put the team in a good place. A last day defeat by Germany saw the team slip to third place, just below the Irish.
World cup 2010
After missing out on the 2006 world cup, Cameroon next qualified in 2010. This was the first world cup held on African soil. The home continent did nothing to help Cameroon’s fortune as they endured a torrid campaign. The team lost all three games to Denmark, the Netherlands and Japan.
World cup 2014
In 2014 the world cup travelled to Brazil where it was won by Germany. They became the first European side to win the tournament in South America. If things went poorly for the Cameroon national football team in 2010 they somehow went worse in 2014. Another three defeats left them bottom of their group, with one goal scored and nine conceded. This included four against Brazil and four against Croatia.
World cup 2018
Fixtures to be announced.
Find out more
- Cameroon national football team website.
- Cameroon on Twitter.
- Confederation of African Football qualifying.