The Netherlands Japan Cameroon Denmark
Cameroon eased through a first qualifying group containing Cape Verde, Tanzania and Mauritius, before facing off against Gabon, Togo and Morocco in a much tougher looking second round of qualifers.
The Indomitable Lions got off to the worst possible start, losing 1-0 to Togo before being held to a scoreless draw by Morocco - prompting the sacking of coach Otto Pfister.
His replacement was the much-travelled Paul Le Guen, and the Frenchman appeared to have a galvanising effect on the squad, as Cameroon won their next four games to top the group by four points from surprise runners-up Gabon.
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Cameroon |
Cameroon |
Cameroon v Japan 14 June; Bloemfontein
Cameroon v Denmark 19 June; Pretoria
Cameroon v The Netherlands 22 June; Cape
Town
Nowadays World Cup veterans, Cameroon have appeared at four out of the past five finals - but they've never come close to repeating their heroics of 1990, when a Roger Milla-inspired side stunned the world by reaching the quarter-finals.
Crucially for the Lions, they've got a strong goalkeeper in Espanyol shot-stopper Carlos Kameni, and his agile reflexes could prove crucial in what appears to be an evenly matched group.
There's also plenty of experience in the form of defenders Rigobert Song and Geremi, but elsewhere Cameroon rely more on industry than creativity, with striker Samuel Eto'o the obvious stand-out and inspiration for goals.
Cameroon's talisman Samuel Eto'o has been a mainstay of the national team for more than a decade, after making his debut for the Indomitable Lions as far back as 1996. He's been a prolific scorer in that time, and will be desperate to make up for the disappointment of Cameroon missing the 2006 finals.
The Tottenham Hotspur defender only recently declared his allegiances to Cameroon, after originally playing twice for the French U-21 side. Dominant in the air and tenacious in the tackle, Bassong will be looking to make his mark on the world game's biggest stage.
Paul Le Guen has enjoyed a meandering managerial career at Rennes, Lyon, Rangers and Paris Saint Germain, picking up three titles in his time at Lyon, but winning few fans along the way. Cameroon have offered him his first taste of international management.
1982, 1994, 1998, 2002 First Round; 1990 Quarter finals
Second round.
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Won group A in the African qualifying zone.
Rigobert Song is still going strong with over 130 caps.
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Cameroon may not be the strongest African side at the tournament, but they'll naturally enjoy plenty of support on African soil. Their opening two games are against Japan and Denmark, and in a group that also contains heavyweights the Netherlands, there's no reason that Le Guen's team shouldn't dream of at least making the second round.
Goalkeepers: Guy Roland N'Dy Assembe (Valenciennes), Idriss
Carlos Kameni (Espanyol), Hamidou Souleymanou (Kayserispor)
Defenders: Benoit Assou Ekotto (Tottenham Hotspur), Sebastien
Bassong (Tottenham Hotspur), Gaetan Bong (Valenciennes), Aurelien
Chedjou (Lille), Geremi (Ankaragucu), Nicolas Nkoulou (Monaco),
Rigobert Song (Trabzonspor)
Midfielders: Achille Emana (Real Betis), Enoh Eyong (Ajax
Amsterdam), Jean Makoun (Olympique Lyon), Georges Mandjeck (Kaiserslautern),
Joel Matip (Schalke 04), Landry Nguemo (Celtic), Alexandre Song
(Arsenal)
Forwards: Vincent Aboubacar (Coton Sport), Eric Choupo-Moting
(Nuremburg), Stephane Mbia (Marseille, France), Samuel Eto'o (Inter
Milan), Mohamadou Idrissou (Freiburg), Achille Webo (Real Mallorca).