Cameroon are one of three African sides to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup, making the last eight in 1990 where they were eventually eliminated by England after extra-time.
They are the most successful team from the continent in the tournament, having qualified eight times for the World Cup, and have only missed out twice since 1982. However, 1990 was the only year they qualified from the Group Stage.
Here to see if they can improve on that record at the World Cup 2022 is our footy trader Sam Kingston.
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Cameroon World Cup 2022 qualifying record
Cameroon qualified for the tournament in extremely dramatic circumstances. They went into their final group game against Ivory Coast one point behind, needing a win to reach the playoffs, and a Karl Toko Ekambi goal was enough to see them over the line in a 1-0 win.
They then faced Algeria in the playoffs, losing the first leg at home 1-0 before reversing the scoreline in the second away thanks to a Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting strike. The tie went to extra-time, and Algeria thought they had secured their place at the tournament with a 118th minute equaliser, only to have the result snatched away from them when Toko Ekambi popped up with virtually the last kick of the game, in the fourth minute of added time, to send the Indomitable Lions to Qatar.
Who is the Cameroon manager?
A legend of the national side, Rigobert Song is taking Cameroon to the World Cup. He took over following their elimination from the AFCON at the hands of Egypt. He generally sets the team up in a 4-4-2 formation, giving star man Vincent Aboubakar a strike partner, although in their recent games he used 3-4-3 and 4-3-3 formations, so may be looking to play Aboubakar up front by himself in Qatar.
He was in charge for the dramatic playoff win over Algeria and he’s been with the international side since 2016, managing youth teams and the senior squad as caretaker boss for a brief stint in 2018.
Cameroon World Cup squad
Cameroon’s side can be described as very top heavy going into this tournament. Captain of the side, Vincent Aboubakar, will undoubtedly start in the forward role, alongside either Toko Ekambi or Choupo-Moting. If Toko Ekambi starts up front, it means he will play Martin Hongla and Bryan Mbeumo as wide midfielders. Andre Onana of Inter Milan will be between the sticks.
André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, who is having an incredible season at Napoli, will start in midfield, alongside Samuel Gouet of Mechelen. Nicolas Nkoulou may start at centre half, but it’s more likely they go with a partnership of Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui of Gent, and Jean-Charles Castelletto of Nantes. They scored the most goals of any team in the AFCON (11), with Aboubakar scoring five of them meaning he left the tournament with the Golden Boot. They were eliminated in the semi-finals on penalties by Egypt.
- Goalkeepers: Devis Epassy,, Simon Ngapandouetnbu,, Andre Onana
- Defenders: Jean-Charles Castelletto, Enzo Ebosse, Collins Fai, Olivier Mbaizo, Nicolas Nkoulou, Tolo Nouhou, Christopher Wooh
- Midfielders: Martin Hongla, Pierre Kunde, Olivier Ntcham, Gael Ondoua, Samuel Oum Gouet, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa
- Forwards: Vincent Aboubakar, Christian Bassogog, Eric-Maxime Choupo Moting, Souaibou Marou, Bryan Mbeumo, Nicolas Moumi Ngamaleu, Jerome Ngom, Georges-Kevin Nkoudou, Jean-Pierre Nsame, Karl Toko Ekambi
Cameroon Key Player
Vincent Aboubakar is Cameroon’s main man going into this tournament and they will need his goals if they are to progress through a very difficult group involving Brazil, Switzerland and Serbia. He left Besiktas in 2021, and now plays in Saudi Arabia with Al Nassr and has scored 136 goals at club level over his career to date.
Aboubakar has scored 33 international goals, currently third behind Roger Milla and Samuel Eto’o as their all-time record goalscorer, and seems to relish playing for the national side alongside either Toko Ekambi or Choupo=Moting.
Cameroon One to Watch
Bryan Mbeumo has recently pledged allegiance to Cameroon and picked up his first cap in September at home to Uzbekistan. Mbeumo adds pace and skill to the forward line and we may see coach Song adjust the formation to fit him into a front three, with Aboubakar and Toko Ekambi.
He is a quick, creative winger with proven Premier League experience at Brentford. He may be the reason they qualify through this tricky group.
Cameroon World Cup prospects
Cameroon have been drawn with tournament favourites Brazil, along with Serbia and Switzerland – two very tricky opponents. It won’t be easy for them to pick up points in this group but they can certainly cause problems for those three teams. They’re the outsiders to qualify through the group, and will have to rely on the forwards to outscore their opposition if they are to win any games.
Onana in goal will have to perform at an extremely high standard, as they will be facing world class forwards in the likes of Neymar, Vinicius Junior, Alexandar Mitrovic and Dusan Vlahovic. They play Brazil in the last game, so the hope will be that Brazil have already qualified in first place and field a weakened team against them, giving them a chance to qualify on the final day.
Cameroon World Cup betting tips
Aboubakar will start all three group games and Cameroon will look to get the ball to him in dangerous areas as much as possible. He’s a strong, physical striker who seems to make finishing look very easy. If Cameroon play a 4-3-3 formation, he will be the lone striker with Toko Ekambi and Mbeumo either side. In the AFCON, Toko Ekambi was sacrificed as a wide midfielder in a few games, allowing Aboubakar the freedom of being a lone striker. He also takes their penalties, scoring during times from the spot in the AFCON. CAMEROON TEAM TOP SCORER: VINCENT ABOUBAKAR.
Cameroon World Cup Winner Odds
Cameroon World Cup 2022 Fixtures
November 24, 10am: Switzerland v Cameroon (ITV)
November 28, 10am: Cameroon v Serbia (ITV)
December 2, 7pm: Cameroon v Brazil (ITV)
CLICK BELOW FOR TEAM PREVIEWS ON CAMEROON’S GROUP G RIVALS
- Brazil World Cup squad analysed
- Serbia World Cup squad analysed
- Switzerland World Cup squad analysed
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change
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