World Cup preview: Cameroon
Two in-form stars led the way for the Indomitable Lions
Previous World Cup appearances: 1982, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2010, 2014
Best finish: Quarterfinals (1990)
Group stage schedule: vs. Switzerland (Nov. 24), vs. Serbia (Nov. 28), vs. Brazil (Dec. 2)
Notes: All stats accurate as of Nov. 11, 2022.
The breakdown
How they qualified: Cameroon joined Confederation of African Football (CAF) qualifying in the second round and finished first in a group with the Ivory Coast, Mozambique and Malawi. Their two-legged tie with Algeria in the third round went to extra time after both teams won the away leg 1-0. Karl Toko Ekambi’s 124th-minute goal tied the aggregate score and sent them to the World Cup on away goals.
Names to know:
Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (Napoli) — Anguissa made 11 starts between this year’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and World Cup qualifying, contributing a goal in the second round of qualifying. He has played in four of Europe’s major five leagues and joined Italian side Napoli during the 2021 summer transfer window. His emergence has been one of the reasons for the club’s remarkable start to the season.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (Bayern Munich) — Cameroon’s joint-top goalscorer during qualifying, Choupo-Moting scored double-digit goals in the Bundesliga twice for Mainz (2011-12 and 2013-14). The 33-year-old moved to French giants PSG in 2018, where he played a minor role in two Ligue 1 titles. He returned to the Bundesliga in 2020 with Bayern Munich and already has 10 goals to his name this season.
Karl Toko Ekambi (Lyon) — The goal that sent Cameroon to the World Cup was Ekambi’s third during qualifying and 12 of his international career1. Five of those came in their run to the AFCON semifinals. He has 56 goals in 155 Ligue 1 appearances and produced eight goal involvements (6 goals and 2 assists) for Lyon in the Europa League last season2.
Collins Fai (Al-Tai) — Fai played 559 of a possible 570 minutes before Cameroon were eliminated from AFCON and logged the fourth-most minutes on the team during qualifying. He made 123 appearances for Standard Liège in the Belgian Pro League prior to joining Al-Tai in the Saudi Pro League in this year’s January transfer window.
Moumi Ngamaleu (Dynamo Moscow) — Ngamaleu led the team with three assists and four total goal involvements in qualifying. He also played in every game at AFCON, registering two assists. The winger began the 2022-23 season with Swiss club Young Boys and completed a transfer to Dynamo Moscow in the Russian Premier League in September3.
Potential breakout star: Martin Hongla (Hellas Verona)
No player in Cameroon’s World Cup squad spent more time on the field during qualifying than Hongla. The 24-year-old has established himself as a regular contributor for Hellas Verona after only getting 651 minutes of action in Serie A in his first season with the club (2021-22). Hongla joined the Italian club from Belgian side Royal Antwerp.
The bottom line
Reason for optimism: Form
Choupo-Moting cannot stop scoring goals at the moment, and Anguissa has been sensational for the best team in Italy. Having two key players enter the tournament in such good form changes the conversation surrounding this team at least a little bit.
Biggest question: Where does the creativity come from?
Most of their attacking players are goalscorers first and foremost, so it’s not shocking only half their goals during qualifying were assisted4. For comparison AFCON champions Senegal had 11 assists and 16 goals in qualifying.
Here’s the deal:
It would be a surprise if they got out of the group, but it seems more likely than it did four months ago.