By Sonita Ngunyi Nwohtazie & Boris Esono Nwenfor
BUEA, December 1, 2023 – The Indomitable Lions have fallen three places in the world rankings released by football governing body FIFA on Thursday. Despite this setback, the Indomitable Lions have maintained their 7th position on the African scale.
Globally, Cameroon is now ranked 46th in the world as opposed to the October rankings that had the Central African nation 43rd. The fall in the world rankings may come as a surprise looking at the performance of the five times Africa Cup of Nations champions in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Indeed, Cameroon has picked up 4 points from 2 games in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier so far. The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon had an easy 3-0 win over Mauritius in their Group D opener. Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo ignited the scoring spectacle just before halftime, setting the stage for a triumphant performance by the Indomitable Lions. Georges-Kevin N’Koudou and Frank Magrid further solidified Cameroon’s dominance, sealing the win with their well-executed goals.
The second game came against Libya was a tougher one but the Indomitable Lions came off with a 1-1 against their opponents. “The players of our national team, through their resilience, their courage, in unprecedented adversity, were able to respond”, Samuel Eto’o, President of the Cameroon Football Federation, FECAFOOT, wrote on social media after the draw with Libya.
“Yesterday. In memory of a former footballer, you gave us an unforgettable moment. We saw a national team, ours, which knew how to control its match in intensity and quality. The offensive and defensive transition phases were mastered.
Not just Cameroon, other teams have also seen significant shifts in the FIFA rankings. For instance, Egypt made a significant leap in FIFA’s November rankings, climbing two places after securing victories against Djibouti and Sierra Leone in the FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifiers. In their campaign opener, Egypt delivered an impressive 6-0 home victory over Djibouti and secured a 2-0 win against Sierra Leone in challenging conditions.
Nigeria women’s team has dropped three places in the latest FIFA Women’s ranking released on Friday. Ghana also slipped 10 places down. This was mainly because both West African powerhouses failed to go past the third round of the 2020 CAF Olympic Games qualifiers. The Super Falcons and Black Queens now occupy the 39th and 60th positions respectively.
Among African countries, Egypt retained their fifth position, trailing behind Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, and Algeria.
Cameroon has been drawn in Group C of the TotalEnergies AFCON 2023 in Ivory Coast alongside defending champions Senegal, Guinea and the Gambia. Cameroon begins their first assignment on January 15 against Guinea before facing Senegal on January 19. The group stage concludes for the side on January 23 against the Gambia.
