Nigeria and Cameroon are set to go head-to-head on Saturday 27 January in the Africa Cup of Nations round of 16. Nigeria enjoyed a better group stage than Cameroon, picking up three points and go into the match as favourites. This is backed up by the Nigeria vs Cameroon last five H2Hs which suggest the Super Eagles should start thinking about the quarter-finals already.
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Nigeria vs Cameroon H2H record
The Nigeria vs Cameroon rivalry has existed for over 60 years with the first footballing clash between the two nations coming in 1960. On that occasion, the two teams played out a bore 0-0 draw which, ironically, was also the way the most recent Nigeria vs Cameroon H2H went.
- Nigeria Wins: 12
- Draws: 8
- Cameroon Wins: 5
It took Cameroon nearly 25 years to record a victory over Nigeria, with the Super Eagles opening the rivalry up with a stretch of nine games unbeaten. Nigeria have continued to dominate the fixture over time and went on a four-match winning run over Cameroon between 2003-2017.
Nigeria vs Cameroon last five H2Hs
Nigeria 4-0 Cameroon – 1st September 2017
Nigeria inflicted their largest-ever defeat on Cameroon in September 2017 in one of the biggest matches between the two nations. The two countries were paired together in the final stage of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup alongside Algeria and Zambia. Many believed qualification would come down to the two matches played between Nigeria and Cameroon and the Super Eagles delivered a hammer blow in September 2017 when they beat Cameroon 4-0 to give themselves the advantage in Group B.
Cameroon 1-1 Nigeria – 4th September 2017
The two nations faced off again just three days later in what was the fourth round of fixtures in Group B. Cameroon needed to win to put themselves back into the hunt for Russia 2018 but things got off to the worst possible start when Moses Simon gave the visitors an early lead. A Vincent Aboubakar penalty in the second half gave Cameroon life but they didn't do enough to find a winner. Nigeria went on to qualify for the World Cup where they were knocked out in the group stages.
Nigeria 3-2 Cameroon – 6th July 2019
In July 2019, Nigeria and Cameroon played out a five-goal thriller in the round of 16 at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. Odion Ighalo gave Nigeria an early lead before Cameroon flipped the game on its head just before time thanks to two goals from Bahoken and N'Jie. After half time, the Super Eagles came out flying and Ighalo scored again to make it 2-2 before Alex Iwobi won the match in the 66th minute. Nigeria made it through to the semi-finals where they lost to Algeria.
Nigeria 0-1 Cameroon – 4th June 2021
Cameroon recorded their first win over Nigeria in 21 years in 2021 when they overcame the Super Eagles in an international friendly. Ex-Fulham midfielder Frank Anguissa scored the only goal of the game in the first half to give Cameroon a memorable victory. The African football calendar had been thrown into turmoil due to the COVID pandemic so the match was played in Austria behind closed doors.
Cameroon 0-0 Nigeria – 8th June 2021
Four days later, Cameroon and Nigeria played each other again at the same stadium in Austria as both nations prepared for World Cup qualifiers for the Qatar World Cup and the Africa Nations Cup, which Cameroon were set to host. The game wasn't played with great intensity and ultimately finished goalless with both managers using the match as an opportunity to rotate several players.
Potential MVP – Victor Osimhen
When it comes to Nigeria, the weight of expectation is firmly placed on the shoulders of Napoli striker, Victor Osimhen. The 25-year-old has made a name for himself as one of the most lethal strikers in world football over the past couple of seasons and after winning Serie A last season, he will have his eyes set on international glory.
Osimhen has scored just once at AFCON 2023 so far, a goal return that isn't good enough for someone of his calibre. He needs one more to become Nigeria's third-highest goalscorer of all time and two more to be tied with Segun Odegbami in second place on 23 goals. Will Osimhen score for Nigeria against Cameroon and lead his nation into the quarter finals?
Key trend
Looking at the Nigeria vs Cameroon last five H2Hs, Nigeria haven't scored a goal against their old rivals in the last two meetings and they haven't exactly been prolific at AFCON 2023 so far, either. If you fancy another Nigeria blank then you can get odds of 21/10. In terms of the match result, we are leaning towards Nigeria getting the win due to the disarray in the Cameroon camp.
For more tips, check out our in-depth Nigeria vs Cameroon prediction.
