Edem Mensah
AFCON History; Facts, Records, Record Holders of Africa Cup of Nations
Knowing the AFCON history as an African is important even if you are unable to watch the games as they happen either on TV or in the stadium live.
The Africa Cup of Nations or TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (French Coupe d’Afrique Des Nations) is the main International Men’s Association football competition in Africa. The competition is simply called AFCON Or CAN hosted by CAF and its leadership.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) first held this competition in 1957 and that was 67 years ago. Since 1968, AFCON has been held every two years, switching to odd-numbered years in 2013 and returning to even-numbered years in 2022.
The first AFCON tournament held in 1957 saw only three participating nations. Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia were the three nations that participated during this year. South Africa was originally scheduled to join but was disqualified due to the apartheid policies of the government then in power.
AFCON expanded greatly making it necessary to hold a qualifying tournament. In 1998 the number of participants in the final tournament reached 16 (15 teams competed in 1996 due to the withdrawal of Nigeria and the same happened with Togo in 2010), until 2017 the format had been unchanged, with 16 teams being drawn into four groups of four teams each, with the top two teams of each group advancing to a “knock-out” stage.
On the 20th of July 2017, AFCON was moved from January to June and expanded from 16 to 24 teams. Now 54 nations are eligible to enter the qualification and 24 of these nations get the privilege to enter the finals.
Egypt is the most successful nation in the history of AFCON, winning the tournament Seven times (7). Three trophies have been awarded during the tournament’s history, with Ghana and Cameroon winning the first two versions to keep after each of them won a tournament three times. The current trophy was first awarded in 2002. Egypt won an unprecedented three titles in 2006, 2008 and 2010.
In 2015, the AFCON tournament’s format was changed to being held in odd-numbered years so as not to interfere with the FIFA World Cup. Senegal is the tournament’s current champion, having beaten Egypt on penalties in the 2021 finals.
Trophy Facts
Three trophies have been awarded throughout the history of AFCON to winners of the competition.
The first trophy originally made of Silver was the Abdelaziz Abdallah Salem Trophy, named after the first CAF President, Egyptian Abdelaziz Abdallah Salem. Ghana obtained the right to permanently hold the trophy in 1978 as the first winner of three AFCON tournaments
The second Trophy was called the “Trophy of African Unity” or “African Unity Cup” and was awarded from 1980 to 2000. The second trophy was given to CAF by the Supreme Council for sports in Africa before the 1980 tournament and it was a cylindrical piece with the Olympic rings over a map of the continent engraved on it. It sat on a squared base and had stylized triangular handles.
Cameroon won the Unity Cup independently permanently after they became three-time champions in 2000.
The third trophy in 2001 revealed, a gold-plated cup designed and made in Italy. Cameroon permanent holders of the previous trophy were the first nation to be awarded the new trophy after they won the 2002 edition.
Egypt won the gold-plated Cup indefinitely after they became three-time champions in 2010. Unlike previous winners who would have then taken the trophy home, Egypt was awarded a special full-size replica that they were allowed to keep.
The winner of each edition receives a replica whose dimensions are equal to that of the original trophy. CAF gave 30 gold medals to the winning team, 30 silver medals to the runners-up, 30 bronze medals to the team ranked third, and 30 diplomas to the team ranked fourth in the final tournament.
Winners and Runners-up in AFCON History
Egypt has been the champion of the Africa Cup of Nations Seven (7) times in the years; 1957,1959,1986,1998,2006,2008,2010 and three (3) times runners-up in 1962,2017,2021.
Cameroon has been champions of the Africa Cup of Nations five (5) times in the years; 1984,1988,2000,2002,2017 and two (2) times runners-up in 1986,2008.
Ghana has been the champions of the Africa Cup of Nations four (4) times in the years; 1963,1965,1978,1982 and were runners-up five (5) times 1968,1970,1992,2010,2015.
Nigeria has been champions of the Africa Cup of Nations three (3) times in the years; 1980,1994,2013 and were runners-up four (4) times in 1984,1988,1990,2000.
Ivory Coast have been champions of Africa Cup of Nations two (2) times in the years; and 1992,2015 and two (2) times runners-up in 2006,2012.
Algeria has been champions of the Africa Cup of Nations two (2) times in the years; 1990,2019 and runners-up in 1980.
DR Congo were Champions of Africa Cup of Nations two (2) times in the years 1968,1974.
Zambia were champions of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2012 and runners-up in 1974,1994.
Tunisia was the champion of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2004 and runners-up in 1965,1995.
Sudan was the champion of the Africa Cup of Nations in 1970 and runners-up in 1959,1963.
Senegal were champions of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2021 and runners-up in 2002,2019.
Ethiopia was champions of Africa Cup of Nations in 1962 and runners-up in 1957
Morocco was the champion of the Africa Cup of Nations in 1976 and runners-up in 2004.
South Africa was the champion of the Africa Cup of Nations in 1996 and runners-up in 1998.
Congo was the champion of the Africa Cup of Nations in 1972. Mali were runners-up in 1972. Burkina Faso were runners-up in 2013. Uganda were runners-up in 1978. Guinea were runners-up in 1976. Libya were runners-up in 1982.
Matches Played and Goals Scored During AFCON History.
Tournaments Matches Goals Scored
| 1957 | 2 | 7 |
| 1959 | 3 | 8 |
| 1962 | 4 | 18 |
| 1963 | 8 | 33 |
| 1965 | 8 | 31 |
| 1968 | 16 | 52 |
| 1970 | 16 | 51 |
| 1972 | 16 | 53 |
| 1974 | 17 | 54 |
| 1976 | 18 | 54 |
| 1978 | 16 | 38 |
| 1980 | 16 | 33 |
| 1982 | 16 | 32 |
| 1984 | 16 | 39 |
| 1986 | 16 | 31 |
| 1988 | 16 | 23 |
| 1990 | 16 | 30 |
| 1992 | 20 | 34 |
| 1994 | 20 | 44 |
| 1996 | 29 | 78 |
| 1998 | 32 | 93 |
| 2000 | 32 | 73 |
| 2002 | 32 | 48 |
| 2004 | 32 | 88 |
| 2006 | 32 | 73 |
| 2008 | 32 | 99 |
| 2010 | 29 | 71 |
| 2012 | 32 | 76 |
| 2013 | 32 | 69 |
| 2015 | 32 | 68 |
| 2017 | 32 | 66 |
| 2019 | 52 | 102 |
| 2021 | 52 | 100 |
| 2023 | – | – |
AFCON Champions By Region
Regional Federation Champions Titles
| UNAF (North Africa) | Egypt (7), Algeria (2), Morocco(1), Tunisia(1) | 11 |
| WAFU (West Africa) | Ghana (4), Nigeria (3), Ivory Coast (2), Senegal (1) | 10 |
| UNIFFAC (Central Africa) | Cameroon (5), DR Congo (2), Congo (1) | 8 |
| CECAFA (East Africa) | Ethiopia (1), Sudan (1) | 2 |
| COSAFA (Southern Africa) | South Africa (1), Zambia(1) | 2 |
Consecutive Champions of AFCON
Teams that have won the Africa Cup of Nations consecutive and become two-time champions (two consecutive titles) or three-time champions.
Team Two-Champions Three-Time Champions
| Egypt | 1:1957,1959 | 1:2006,2008,2010 |
| Ghana | 1:1963,1965 | |
| Cameroon | 1:2000,2002 |
Post-Tournament Awards
1: The Best Player of the tournament for most valuable Player.
2: The Top Goal scorer of the tournament for a most prolific goal scorer.
3: The Best Goalkeeper of the tournament for the most outstanding goalkeeper.
4: The Best Young Player of the Tournament for the most outstanding young player.
5: The Team of the Tournament for the best-combined team of players at the tournament.
6: The Fair Play Award for the team with the best record of fair play.
Years National Teams Made Their Debuts at AFCON.
YEARS NATIONAL TEAMS NUMBER OF TEAMS TOTAL NUMBER OF TEAMS
| 1957 | Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan | 3 | 3 |
| 1962 | Tunisia, Uganda | 2 | 5 |
| 1963 | Ghana, Nigeria | 2 | 7 |
| 1965 | Congo-Léopoldville, Ivory Coast, Senegal | 3 | 10 |
| 1968 | Algeria, Congo-Brazzaville | 2 | 12 |
| 1970 | Cameroon, Guinea | 2 | 14 |
| 1972 | Kenya, Mali, Morocco, Togo | 4 | 18 |
| 1974 | Mauritius, Zambia | 2 | 20 |
| 1978 | Upper Volta | 1 | 21 |
| 1980 | Tanzania | 1 | 22 |
| 1982 | Libya | 1 | 23 |
| 1984 | Malawi | 1 | 24 |
| 1986 | Mozambique | 1 | 25 |
| 1994 | Gabon, Sierra Leone | 2 | 27 |
| 1996 | Angola, Liberia, South Africa | 3 | 30 |
| 1998 | Namibia | 1 | 31 |
| 2004 | Benin, Rwanda, Zimbabwe | 3 | 34 |
| 2012 | Botswana, Equatorial Guinea, Niger | 3 | 37 |
| 2013 | Cape Verde | 1 | 38 |
| 2017 | Guinea-Bissau | 1 | 39 |
| 2019 | Burundi, Madagascar, Mauritania | 3 | 42 |
| 2021 | Comoros, Gambia | 2 | 44 |
| 2023 | None | 0 | 4 |
African Teams Yet to Qualify for AFCON
-Central African Republic
-Chard
-Eritrea
-Eswatini
-Djibouti
-Lesotho
-São Tomé and Principe
-Seychelles
-Somalia
-South Sudan
Teams Medal Won During AFCON History
Teams Gold Silver Bronze Total
| Egypt | 7 | 3 | 3 | 13 |
| Cameroon | 5 | 2 | 2 | 9 |
| Ghana | 4 | 5 | 1 | 10 |
| Nigeria | 3 | 4 | 8 | 15 |
| Ivory Coast | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| Algeria | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| DR Congo | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Zambia | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| Sudan | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Tunisia | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Senegal | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Ethiopia | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Morocco | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| South Africa | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Congo | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Mali | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Burkina Faso | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Guinea | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Libya | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Uganda | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total medals | 33 | 33 | 33 | 99 |
The total number of medals given up to date is 99 in all 33 golds, 33 silvers, and 33 bronze.
Countries That Have Hosted AFCON And Position Had During The Tournament
HOST NATIONS YEAR POSITION
| Sudan | 1957 | Third Place |
| United Arab Republic | 1959 | Champions |
| Ethiopia | 1962 | Champions |
| Ghana | 1963 | Champions |
| Tunisia | 1965 | Runners-up |
| Ethiopia | 1968 | Fourth Place |
| Sudan | 1970 | Champions |
| Cameroon | 1972 | Third Place |
| Egypt | 1974 | Third Place |
| Ethiopia | 1976 | Group Stage |
| Ghana | 1978 | Champions |
| Nigeria | 1980 | Champions |
| Libya | 1982 | Runners-up |
| Ivory Coast | 1984 | Group Stage |
| Egypt | 1986 | Champions |
| Morocco | 1988 | Fourth Place |
| Algeria | 1990 | Champions |
| Senegal | 1992 | Quarter-Final |
| Tunisia | 1994 | Group Stage |
| South Africa | 1996 | Champions |
| Burkina Faso | 1998 | Fourth Place |
| Ghana | 2000 | Quarter-Finals |
| Nigeria | 2000 | Runners-up |
| Mali | 2002 | Fourth Place |
| Tunisia | 2004 | Champions |
| Egypt | 2006 | Champions |
| Ghana | 2008 | Third Place |
| Angola | 2010 | Third Place |
| Equatorial Guinea | 2012 | Quarter-Finals |
| Gabon | 2012 | Quarter-Finals |
| South Africa | 2013 | Quarter-Finals |
| Equatorial Guinea | 2015 | Fourth Place |
| Gabon | 2017 | Group Stage |
| Egypt | 2019 | Round 16 |
| Cameroon | 2012 | Third Place |
| Ivory Coast | 2023 | To be determined |
| Morocco | 2025 | To be determined |
OVERALL TOP GOALSCORERS
PLAYERS’ TEAMS GOAL SCORED MATCH PLAYED NUMBER OF TOURNAMENTS
| Samuel Eto’s | Cameroon | 18 | 29 | 6 |
| Laurent Pokou | Ivory Coast | 14 | 12 | 4 |
| Rashidi Yekini | Nigeria | 13 | 20 | 4 |
| Hassan El-Shazly | Egypt | 12 | 8 | 3 |
| Patrick Mboma | Cameroon | 11 | 17 | 4 |
| Hossam Hassan | Egypt | 11 | 21 | 7 |
| Didier Drogba | Ivory Coast | 11 | 24 | 5 |
| Ndaye Mulamba | DR Congo | 10 | 10 | 2 |
| Francileudo Santos | Tunisia | 10 | 12 | 3 |
| Joel Tiéhi | Ivory Coast | 10 | 15 | 4 |
| Mengistu Worku | Ethiopia | 10 | 17 | 6 |
| Kalusha Bwalya | Zambia | 10 | 23 | 6 |
| André Ayew | Ghana | 10 | 34 | 7 |
| Manucho | Angola | 9 | 14 | 4 |
| Vincent Aboubakar | Cameroon | 9 | 15 | 3 |
| Abdoulaye Traoré | Ivory Coast | 9 | 22 | 6 |
| Pascal Feindouna | Guinea | 8 | 13 | 4 |
| Sadio Mané | Senegal | 8 | 18 | 4 |
| Ahmed Hassan | Egypt | 8 | 31 | 8 |
| Seydou Keita | Mali | 8 | 31 | 7 |
| Asamoah Gyan | Ghana | 8 | 31 | 7 |
| Osei Kofi | Ghana | 7 | 8 | 3 |
| Ali Abo Gresham | Egypt | 7 | 9 | 2 |
| Teher Abouzeid | Egypt | 7 | 10 | 2 |
| Frédéric Kanouté | Mali | 7 | 11 | 3 |
| Flávio | Angola | 7 | 12 | 4 |
| Benin McCarthy | South Africa | 7 | 12 | 3 |
| Christopher Katongo | Zambia | 7 | 17 | 5 |
| Roger Milla | Cameroon | 7 | 18 | 4 |
| Abedi Pele | Ghana | 7 | 18 | 5 |
| Jay-Jay Okocha | Nigeria | 7 | 22 | 5 |
| Youssef Msakni | Tunisia | 7 | 26 | 7 |
| George Alhassan | Ghana | 6 | 7 | 3 |
| Wilberforce Mfum | Ghana | 6 | 8 | 2 |
| Ahmed Faras | Morocco | 6 | 9 | 3 |
| Mayanga Maku | DR Congo | 6 | 10 | 3 |
| Segun Odegbami | Nigeria | 6 | 10 | 2 |
| Mohamed Aboutrika | Egypt | 6 | 11 | 2 |
| Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | Gabon | 6 | 13 | 4 |
| Shaun Bartlett | South Africa | 6 | 14 | 4 |
| Julius Aghahowo | Nigeria | 6 | 15 | 4 |
| Riyad Mahrez | Algeria | 6 | 17 | 4 |
| Gervinho | Ivory Coast | 6 | 17 | 5 |
| Mohamed Salah | Egypt | 6 | 17 | 3 |
| Lakhdar Belloumi | Algeria | 6 | 18 | 4 |
| Yaya Touré | Ivory Coast | 6 | 29 | 6 |
GOALSCORING RECORDS
First Goal at AFCON
Raafat Attia Scored the first-ever goal at the Africa Cup of Nations; in the first match of the inaugural tournament on the 10th of February 1957, he got the opening goal for Egypt against host Sudan in a 2-1 victory.
FIRST HAT-TRICK SCORED in AFCON
Ad-Diba was the first-ever player to score a hat-trick in an Africa Cup of Nations match; he scored four (4) for Egypt in a 4-0 victory against Ethiopia on the 16th of February 1957, the final match of the inaugural tournament.
FIRST TOP-GOALSCORER in AFCON HISTORY
Ad-Diba was the first-ever top goalscorer for an Africa Cup of Nations tournament, scoring five (5) goals for Egypt in 1957.
OLDEST GOALSCORER in AFCON HISTORY
Hossam Hassan was 39 years and 174 days old when he scored for Egypt against DR Congo in a 4-1 victory on the 3rd of February 2006.
YOUNGEST GOALSCORER in AFCON HISTORY
Shiva N’Zigou was 16 years and 93 days old when he scored for Gabon against South Africa in a 3-1 defeat on the 23rd of January 2000.
FASTEST GOAL SCORERS in AFCON HISTORY
1st minute, Hassan El-Shazly for Egypt against Ivory Coast in 1974 (2-0 victory)
- 1st minute, Chérif Fetoui for Morocco against Congo in 1976 (2-2 draw)
- 1st minute, Philip Omondi for Uganda against Congo in 1978 (3-1 victory)
- 1st minute, Tueba Menayame for Zaire against Cameroon in 1992 (1-1 draw)
- 1st minute, Ayman Mansour for Egypt against Gabon in 1994 (4-0 victory)
- 1st minute, Tijani Babangida for Nigeria against South Africa in 2000 (2-0 victory)
- 1st minute, Soufiana Alloudi for Morocco against Namibia in 2008 (5-1 victory)
REGULATION TIME GOALS
- 90+ 10th minutes, Bruno Zita Mbanagayé for Gabon against Morocco in 2012 (3-2 victory)
LATEST GOAL (Including Extra Time)
- 120th minute, Brighton Sinyangwe for Zambia against Zaire in 1974 (2-2 draw)
- 120th minute, Jaouad Zairi for Morocco against Algeria in 2004 (3-1 victory)
MOST GOALS IN A SINGLE MATCH
Laurent Pouku scored Five (5) goals for Ivory Coast in a 6-1 victory against Ethiopia in 1970.
Most goals in a Single Tournament –
Ndiaye Mulamba scored 9 goals for Zaire in the 1974 tournament.
Goalscoring Goalkeeper in the tournament
Kennedy Mweene is the first and only goalkeeper to score a goal for Zambia in an Africa Cup of Nations in 2013.
Most Tournaments with a goal – Kalusha Bwalya from Zambia, Samuel Eto’o from Cameroon, Asamoah Gyan, and André Ayew both from Ghana each scored at least one goal in a record six different tournaments.
The oldest Player to play in AFCON is Essam El Hadary, he was 44 years and 21 days old when he played for Egypt in the final against Cameroon on 5 February 2017.
The youngest Player to play in AFCON is Shiva N’Zigou, who was 16 years and 93 days old when he played for Gabon in a group stage match against South Africa on 23rd January 2000.
MOST AFCON TITLES WON BY A PLAYER
Essam El Hadary and Ahmed Hassan both from Egypt won four (4) AFCON titles in the years 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010.
Mahmoud El-Gohary of the United Arab Republic was the first and only player to score a hat-trick in an opening match of the Africa Cup of Nations in a 4-0 victory against Ethiopia on 22 May 1959.
Hassan El-Shazly of United Arab Republic is the first and only to score a hat-trick in two Africa Cup of Nations (1963 and 1970)
Laurent Pokou of Ivory Coast is the only player to score a hat-trick of five goals in the Africa Cup of Nations (1970).
The fastest hat-trick was scored by Soufiane Alloudi of Morocco against Namibia in 2008 (1, 5, 28) in a 5-1 victory.
The latest hat-trick without extra time was scored by Francileudo dos Santos of Tunisia against Zambia in 2006 (35, 82, 90+3) in a 4-1 win.
The latest hat-trick in extra time was scored by Bernard Chanda of Zambia against Congo-Brazzaville in the semi-final of 1974 (70, 97,111) in their 4-2 victory
The shortest hat-trick was scored by Benedict McCarthy of South Africa against Namibia in 1998, in a 4-1 wing
The longest hat-trick was scored by Lauren Pokou of Ivory Coast against Ethiopia in 1970, in 67 minutes (21’, 60’, 71’, 80’, 87) in the 6-1 victory.
No player scored a hat trick in a match that his team drew or lost.
1963, 1970, 1998, and 2006 are the only tournaments to have more than one hat-trick, with two each.
Egypt holds the record for most hat-tricks scored with 6.
Ethiopia has conceded the most hat-tricks with 3 and conceded the most goals from hat-tricks with 12.
MOST TOURNAMENTS HOSTED BY A NATION
Countries Number of Times Hosted Years Hosted
| Egypt | 5 | 1959,1974,1986,2006,2019 |
| Ghana | 4 | 1963,1978, 2000 shared, 2008 |
| Ethiopia | 3 | 1962,1968,1976 |
| Tunisia | 3 | 1965,1994,2004 |
| Sudan | 2 | 1957,1970 |
| Cameroon | 2 | 1972,2021 |
| Nigeria | 2 | 1980,2000 shared |
| Ivory Coast | 2 | 1984,2023 |
| South Africa | 2 | 1996, 2013 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 2 | 2012 shared, 2015 |
| Gabon | 2 | 2012 shared, 2017 |
| Morocco | 2 | 1988,2025 |
| Libya | 1 | 1982 |
| Algeria | 1 | 1990 |
| Senegal | 1 | 1992 |
| Burkina Faso | 1 | 1998 |
| Mali | 1 | 2002 |
| Angola | 1 | 2010 |
| Kenya | 1 | 2027 Yet to be confirmed |
| Tanzania | 1 | 2027 Yet to be confirmed |
| Uganda | 1 | 2027 Yet to be confirmed |
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