Group E: Ireland's opponents - Cameroon

Cameroon

Population: 13.9 million.

FA Established/Affiliated to FIFA: 1962/62.

No of players: 99,000.

World Ranking: 38.

Highest achieved: 22 (Oct '93).

Previous finals: Four.

Best performances: Quarter-finals in 90.

Qualifying record: Pl: 10, W: 8, D:1, L1, F: 20, A: 4.

Leading goalscorer: Patrick Mboma (right, six).

Best performances in African championships: Champions: '84, '88 and 2000; Runners-up in '86.

On the face of it Cameroon possess the talent to cause the Irish serious problems in the first game of the tournament to be played in Japan, not least because the match is Ireland's only one of the group stages to be played in the afternoon when it will be both hot and humid.

A great deal will depend, however, on how well coach Winfred Schaefer can marshal the talents available to him during the next seven months.

Another possibility, of course, is that he will be gone by then. His predecessor, after all, was dismissed for a poor showing in the Confederations Cup, despite having led the country to the Olympic title in Sydney last year. For Schaefer, who was recruited in early September from lowly Borussia Berlin, the immediate task if he wished to see out even the majority of his one-year contract is to do well at next month's African finals in Mali, where his side will be defending the title they won in Nigeria last year.

If he keeps his job, then he will bring an impressive enough mix of experienced players and youthful talent to Japan. Several have extensive experience of the English Premiership, but most highly rated back at home are strikers Patrick Mboma of Parma (currently African player of the Year and a former leading scorer in the J-League) and Samuel Eto'o of Real Mallorca, a key figure in the Olympic victory.