2022 World Cup: Country profile – Cameroon

Factfile on Cameroon, who are in World Cup Group G:

Best World Cup performance: Quarter-finalists in 1990.

Other honours: African champions in 1984, 1988, 2000, 2002, 2017.

FIFA ranking: 43.

Main clubs: Coton Sport, Canon Yaounde.

How they qualified: Cameroon defeated Algeria in a play-off.

Coach: Rigobert Song, 46, is a Cameroon football legend having performed at four World Cups and helped the Indomitable Lions win the Africa Cup of Nations twice in eight tournament appearances. A centre-back, his club career spanned France, Italy, England, Germany and Turkey, including spells at Liverpool and West Ham United. Called the ‘Big Chief’, he suffered a stroke in 2016 and was in a coma for several days. Cameroon sacked Portuguese Toni Conceicao after a third-place finish as 2021 Cup of Nations hosts and coaching rookie Song masterminded a shock World Cup play-off victory over Algeria. Warm-up losses to Uzbekistan and fellow qualifiers South Korea have dampened spirits, however. 

Key player: Bayern Munich’s Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, 33, goes to Qatar in outstanding form having scored in seven consecutive matches for the German giants in all competitions. Born in Hamburg to a Cameroonian father and German mother, he has a point to prove at the World Cup after being largely ignored during the Cup of Nations this year. Choupo-Moting was furious at being left out of the quarter-final and semi-final starting line-ups and accused Conceicao of being “disrespectful”. He began his senior career with Hamburg, played for three other German clubs and spent time at Stoke City and Paris Saint-Germain before joining Bayern two years ago.

Group fixtures

November 24: Switzerland v Cameroon.

November 28: Cameroon v Serbia.

December 2: Cameroon v Brazil.

Squad

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-Maxim Choupo Moting, Souaibou Marou, Bryan Mbeumo, Nicolas Moumi Ngamaleu, Jerome Ngom, Georges-Kevin Nkoudou , Jean-Pierre Nsame, Karl Toko Ekambi.