Cameroon World Cup history

Cameroon enter the 2014 World Cup in Brazil with more tournament pedigree than any of their African neighbours, this being the seventh time the Indomitable Lions will compete on international football’s biggest stage.

However, after a torturous qualification and with a difficult group, expectations are at an all-time low this time around. Yet, since 1982, Cameroon have only failed to qualify for two World Cups (1986 and 2006) and therefore they will be looking to draw on the inspiration of tournaments gone by in their bid this year.

Anything will surely be better than their previous showing, as the Lions were humiliated during the first ever World Cup on African soil in 2010, losing every match for the first time ever in a group significantly weaker than the one they face this time around.

That was, however, the first time that level of embarrassment had been felt. Despite only ever getting out of the group stage once, they have traditionally given a good account of themselves in previous tournaments.

In fact, in their first tournament in 1982 Cameroon exited the competition unbeaten and close to achieving a monumental upset, finishing on the same points as eventual world champions Italy in Group 1. The novices surprising everyone by holding both Peru and Poland to goalless draws, before securing a 1-1 draw with the Azzurri, who squeezed through to the next stage only due to scoring a goal more.



However, the failure to qualify for the following tournament in 1986 meant that fans would have to wait until Italia ‘90 to catch another glimpse of these unpredictable Africans. What ensued was certainly worth waiting for though. The Cameroon side that travelled to that tournament entered World Cup folklore forever, bringing colour and flair into the competition, epitomised by the joyous dancing celebrations of the brilliant Roger Milla.

The Indomitable Lions impact was immediate, causing a huge upset in their opening game as they defeated reigning champions Argentina 1-0 despite ending the match with only nine men. It was the introduction of Milla off the bench against Romania that really got the party started though, as the 38-year-old scored twice to make it two wins from two and secure their progression to the knockout round with a game to spare.

Drawn against Colombia in the last 16, the match remained goalless in 90 minutes. Again Milla was brought off the bench and setting the game alight by scoring twice in three minutes and make Cameroon the first ever African team to reach the Quarter-finals.

The tie against England proved to be a step too far, but only just. Again the match could not be settled in 90 minutes, but with Cameroon just seven minutes away from achieving another famous victory Gary Lineker equalised from the spot. Another Lineker penalty in extra-time ended a famous and brilliant success story for Cameroon that has been fondly remembered ever since.

Since then it has never quite been the same, as successive group stage exits in 1994, 1998 and 2002 yielded only one win (against Saudi Arabia in 2002) and seven points. However, these tournaments were certainly still more respectable than the crushing disappointment of 2010 and most fans would be happy just to get points on the board this time around – a repeat of the heady days of 1990 would require another miraculous upset.