Africa Cup of Nations top winners

The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is Africa's premier international association football tournament, sanctioned by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and contested annually since 1957. 2021 Africa Cup of Nations will be held in less than a month from now. Here in this article, we look at Africa Cup of Nations top winners and some other aspects of the 2021 event.

Speaking about

Africa Cup of Nations top winners

, it is interesting to note that Egypt set a new record by winning their third consecutive African title in the 2010 tournament, which was hosted by Angola, after defeating Ghana 1–0 in the final, retaining the gold-plated cup indefinitely and extending their record to seven continental titles (including when Egypt was known as UAR between 1958 and 1961).

Egypt became the first African country to win three straight continental cups, joining Mexico, Argentina, and Iran as the other countries who have won their continent cup three times.

achieved a new African record on January 31, 2010, by not losing in a Cup of Nations match for the first time in 19 years, since a 2–1 loss against Algeria in Tunisia in 2004, and a record 9 straight wins.

Less than a month before Cameroon is set to host the Africa Cup of Nations, newly-elected football federation president

is under pressure. Ensuring both player and fan safety is the top priority.

African football chief, Patrice Motsepe, confirmed that the Africa Cup of Nations will go ahead as planned in Cameroon, dispelling rumors that the already delayed continental showpiece could fall victim to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"I am going to watch on the 9th of January, Cameroon and Burkina Faso," Motsepe said, referring to the opening match of the 2022 tournament.

The CAF president said the fast-spreading Omicron variant posed “an enormous challenge” for the organizers but added, “We must always identify problems and challenges, and not shy away from them.

African Cup of Nations winners:

Regarding Africa Cup of Nations top winners, here we look at the finals of each tournament since the beginning to see which team could win the trophy in the end.

1957

South Africa was supposed to face Ethiopia in the semi-finals, but owing to apartheid, they were disqualified. Ethiopia was therefore given a bye to the final, while Egypt defeated the host country 2–1 in the second semi-final at Municipal Stadium in Khartoum.

Egypt defeated Ethiopia 40 in the final, with El-Diba scoring all four goals and finishing the tournament with a total of five goals. In the inaugural edition, just two games were played.

1959

The format was revised to a round robin group with just three teams, but the results remained the same: the United Arab Republic defeated

40-0 and Sudan 21-0. Sudan came in second, beating Ethiopia by a score of ten. This edition will also be noted for the three Eastern European coaches: the Czechoslovak Starosta (Ethiopia) and Hada (Sudan), as well as the Hungarian Pál Titkos, Egypt's coach.

Mahmoud El-Gohary, who would later become the Egyptian team's manager between 1988 and 2002, was the tournament's best scorer in this edition.

1962

The 1962 African Cup of Nations Final was held on January 21, 1962, at the Hailé Sélassié Stadium in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to decide the winner of the African football championship organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). Ethiopia won their first and only championship by defeating the United Arab Republic 42-2 in extra time.

1963

The African Cup of Nations was held for the fourth time in 1963, and it was the continent's association football championship (CAF). The hosts won the African Cup for the third time in a row.

The format was revised to two groups of three teams, with the winners competing in the final and the runners-up competing in the Third-Place final. The hosts defeated Sudan 3–0 in the final in Accra on December 1st, after the first half ended 0–0.

This and the preceding Africa Cup of Nations tournaments are the only ones with an average of more than four goals per game.

1965

The African Cup of Nations was held for the fifth time in 1965. (CAF).

hosted the event. The field of six teams was divided into two groups of three, same as it was in 1963. Ghana defended their championship, defeating Tunisia 32 to 32 in extra time in the final.

1968

The African Cup of Nations, the continent's soccer championship, was held for the sixth time in 1968. (CAF). Ethiopia hosted the event. The competition was increased to eight teams, divided into two four-team groups, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semifinals. Congo-Kinshasa won its first title, defeating Ghana in the final by a score of ten to one.

The African Cup of Nations was held once every three years before to this event, and once every two years after 1968.

1970

The 1970 African Cup of Nations was the seventh edition of Africa's premier soccer tournament (CAF). Sudan hosted the event. The field of eight teams was divided into two groups of four, same as it was in 1968. Sudan won its first title, defeating Ghana in the final by a score of ten to one.

Ghana, dubbed "The Brazil of Africa" at the time, had reached the final four times in a row. This is the only time this record has been broken.

1972

The African Cup of Nations was held for the ninth time in 1972, and it was the continent's association football championship (CAF). Cameroon hosted it in the towns of Yaoundé and Douala. The field of eight teams was divided into two groups of four, same as it was in 1970. The Congolese People's Republic won its first title, defeating Mali 31-2 in the final.

1974

The 1974 African Cup of Nations Final took place between Zaire and Zambia played at the Nasser Stadium in Cairo to decide the victor of the African Cup of Nations, which was the ninth edition. On March 12, 1974, the final was tied 2–2, but Zaire won the rematch 2–0 two days later. It was the first African Cup of Nations final in which neither regular time nor extra time produced a victor.

1976

Guinea vs. Morocco was the deciding match of the 1976 African Cup of Nations group stage. On March 14, 1976, the match was held at the Addis Ababa Stadium in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Instead of a knockout round, the champion of the 1976 Africa Cup of Nations was decided by a final group stage, with the remaining four teams playing in a round-robin style.

This was the last edition to have a final group stage, with the 1959 African Cup of Nations being the only other tournament to do so.

Each team had beaten Egypt, with Morocco also defeating

and Guinea drawing with the same opponent.

, which was a single point ahead of Guinea, won the point differential. As a consequence, Guinea needed to win the last match to secure the title of African champions; else, Morocco would win the championship for the first time.

With a late equalizer from Morocco, the match concluded in a 1-1 tie, ensuring that the North Africans retained first position in the group and won their sole championship to date. Guinea and Morocco both achieved their greatest Africa Cup of Nations results in this tournament as of 2019.

1978

The eleventh edition of the African Cup of Nations, the continent's football championship, was held in 1978. (CAF). Accra and Kumasi, Ghana, hosted the event.

The competition's structure altered in 1976: the field of eight teams was still divided into two groups of four, but the final group stage was replaced with knockout semifinals, as was the case in previous tournaments. Ghana won their third title, defeating Uganda 20-0 in the final.

In the second round of the qualifications, both Ivory Coast and Mali were disqualified: Ivory Coast for deploying an ineligible player, and Mali for assaulting match officials during the first leg. Upper Volta, who had been defeated by the Ivory Coast in the first qualifying round, were awarded a berth in the final tournament because Mali earned a walkover after Niger failed to arrive.

1980

The 1980 African Cup of Nations Final was held on March 22, 1980, at the National Stadium in Lagos, Nigeria, to decide the victor of the tournament. Nigeria won its first African Cup by defeating Algeria 3–0, with two goals from Segun Odegbami and one from Muda Lawal.

1982

The 1982 African Cup of Nations Final took place on March 19, 1982, at the Stade de 11-Juin in Tripoli, Libya, to decide the victor of the tournament. After a 1–1 tie in regulation, Ghana overcame Libya 7–6 in penalty kicks, with goals from George Alhassan for Ghana and Ali Al-Beshari for Libya. As of 2019, this was Ghana's fourth and last continental victory.

1984

The 1984 African Cup of Nations Final was the final match of the 14th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, which took place on March 18, 1984. Côte d'Ivoire staged the event at the Stade Félix Houphout-Boigny in Abidjan. Cameroon won their first World Cup, defeating Nigeria 3-1 in the final.

1986

The 1986 African Cup of Nations Final was a football match held on March 21, 1986, at Cairo Stadium in Cairo, Egypt, to decide the winner of the African football championship organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

Egypt won the tournament for the third time, defeating Cameroon 5–4 on penalties after a 0–0 deadlock.

1988

The 1988 African Cup of Nations Final took place on March 27, 1988, at the Stade Mohamed V in Casablanca, Morocco, to decide the victor of the tournament. Cameroon beat Nigeria 1–0 thanks to Emmanuel Kundé's lone goal in the 55th minute.

1990

The 1990 African Cup of Nations Final was held on March 16, 1990, at the Stade 5 Juillet 1962 in Algiers, Algeria, to decide the victor of the tournament. Algeria won their first African Cup by defeating Nigeria 1–0 thanks to a lone goal by Chérif Oudjani in the 38th minute. The final was a rematch of Nigeria's 3-0 victory in the 1980 final in Lagos.

1992

The 1992 African Cup of Nations Final took place on January 26, 1992, at the Stade de l'Amitié in Dakar, Senegal, to decide the victor of the tournament. Ivory Coast won its first African Cup on penalties, defeating Ghana 11–10 following a goalless draw.

The penalty shootout was remarkable because it was the first time in a major international final that every player on the pitch took a penalty. This would happen again when the two sides met in the 2015 final, with Ivory Coast winning again.

, the then African Footballer of the Year and the finest player in the competition, was banned and did not participate for Ghana.

1994

The 1994 African Cup of Nations Final was the final match of the 19th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, which took place on 10 April 1994. It took place in Tunis, Tunisia, at the Stade El Menzah. Nigeria won their second title, defeating Zambia 2 to 1 in the final.

Following the 1993 flight catastrophe, in which eighteen players and numerous staff members from the previous squad were murdered, the Zambian team was recently reconstituted.

1996

The 1996 African Cup of Nations Final was a football match held on 3 February 1996 at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, to decide the winner of the African football championship organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

South Africa defeated Tunisia 2–0 to win their first championship. Both then-president Nelson Mandela, vice president F. W. de Klerk, and then-Sport Minister Steve Tshwete were present at the match, and they congratulated Bafana Bafana on hoisting the trophy in front of the multiracial home audience.

1998

The 1998 African Cup of Nations Final took place on February 28, 1998, at the Stade du 4-Août in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, to decide the winner of the African football championship organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). Egypt defeated South Africa 2–0 to win the tournament for the fourth time.

2000

The 2000 African Cup of Nations Final was held on February 13, 2000, at the Lagos National Stadium in Lagos, Nigeria, to decide the winner of the African football championship organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). Cameroon defeated Nigeria 4–3 on penalties to win the championship for the third time.

In the 26th minute, Samuel Eto'o scored the opening goal after a foul on Patrick Mboma resulted in a free kick. Mboma took advantage of a through cross from Eto'o in the 31st minute to increase the Cameroonian lead, nutmegging Nigerian goalkeeper Ike Shorunmu in the process.

Cameroon pressed for the most of the first half, hitting the post on many occasions. Raphael Chukwu, a surprise pick, scored a low level goal just before halftime to cut the lead to one. After after, Okocha scored a long-range goal to tie the game.

Eto'o tried to put Cameroon back in front, but his effort was blocked by the sidebar.

goalkeeper Bouker stopped a nicely placed strike on target from substitute Babagida. Victor Ikpeba's long-range header missed the target. Cameroon emerged victorious after the game was settled on penalties.

2002

The 2002 African Cup of Nations Final was a football match held on February 13, 2002, at the Stade du 26 Mars in Bamako, Mali, to determine the winner of the African football championship organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). Cameroon won the tournament for the fourth time after defeating Senegal on penalties 3–2.

2004

The 2004 African Cup of Nations Final took place on 14 February 2004 at the Stade 7 November in Radès, Tunisia, to decide the winner of the African football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). Tunisia defeated Morocco 2–1 to win the championship for the first time.

2006

The 2006 Africa Cup of Nations Final was held on February 10, 2006, at the Cairo International Stadium in Cairo, Egypt, to decide the winner of the African football championship organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). Egypt won the tournament for the sixth time on penalties, defeating Ivory Coast 4–2 in the final.

In the FIFA World Rankings, Egypt was rated 32nd (5th among African countries), while Ivory Coast was ranked 42nd (7th among African nations).

2008

The 2008 Africa Cup of Nations Final was held on February 10, 2008, at the Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra, Ghana, to decide the winner of the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, an African football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

Cameroon and Egypt were the main contenders. Egypt defeated Cameroon 1–0 to win the championship for the sixth time.

2010

The 2010 Africa Cup of Nations Final took place on 31 January 2010 at the Estádio 11 de Novembro in Luanda, Angola, to decide the winner of the African football championship organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

Ghana and Egypt were both contestants. Egypt defeated

1–0 to win the championship for the eighth time.

2012

The 2012 Africa Cup of Nations Final was held on February 12, 2012, at the Stade d'Angondjé in Libreville, Gabon, to decide the winner of the African football championship organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

The majority of the Zambian national team perished when their aircraft crashed in 1993, and this stadium is just a short distance away. Zambia and the Ivory Coast competed for the title. The start time has been pushed back 30 minutes to 20:30. Zambia won the championship for the first time on penalties, defeating Ivory Coast 8–7.

This was Zambia's third appearance in the final; the "Copper Bullets" had previously lost in 1974 and 1994. They won the group after a stunning start that included a victory against Senegal. They then drew with Libya before winning the last match against host Equatorial Guinea and winning the group.

They beat Sudan 3–0 in the quarterfinals and upset Ghana by defeating them 1–0 in the semifinals. In the first five games, both Christopher Katongo and Emmanuel Mayuka scored three goals to assist Zambia reach the final.

The match was particularly poignant for Zambia since the stadium in Libreville was just a few kilometers from the site of the 1993 Zambia national football team flight crash, which claimed the lives of 18 players.

Ivory Coast was also in the final for the third time. In 1992, they were victorious, but in 2006, they were defeated. The "Elephants" had gone through the tournament without conceding a goal and had won every match thus far. It began with a win against Sudan, followed by victories over Burkina Faso and Angola, the latter of which was played without several of the team's greatest players.

After defeating co-host Equatorial Guinea in the quarterfinals, Mali was defeated 1–0 in the final. Didier Drogba joins Katongo and Mayuka at the top of the goalscorers' table with three goals.

2013

The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations Final took place on February 10, 2013, to decide the winner of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, an African football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

The game took place in Johannesburg's FNB Stadium, which previously hosted the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations Final and the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final. Just before kick-off, the tournament's closing ceremony took place. In May of 2012, the judgment was made public. Nigeria and Burkina Faso battled it out in the final.

Nigeria won the final 1–0 thanks to a goal from Sunday Mba. Nigeria was therefore selected to represent CAF in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.

2015

The 2015 Africa Cup of Nations Final was held on February 8, 2015, to decide the victor of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, an African football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). Ghana and Ivory Coast competed in the match, which was place at the Estadio de Bata in Bata, Equatorial Guinea.

Ghana advanced to the final after topping their qualifying group and beating Guinea and Equatorial Guinea in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, respectively. Ghana qualified as group champions as well, defeating Algeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the process.

The final ended 0–0 at the conclusion of regular time, and no goals were scored in extra time, with neither side having many clear-cut opportunities.

cleared the Ghanaian wall with a free kick at 12 minutes, but his strike sailed straight to Ghanaian goalkeeper Brimah Razak. Christian Atsu of Ghana had the greatest opportunity of the game when he struck the goalpost from 30 yards (27 m) on 25 minutes after receiving a feed from André Ayew.

On 41 minutes, Ayew himself struck the goalpost. With the score tied at 2-2, the match was settled by a penalty shoot-out. Ivory Coast's Wilfried Bony and Junior Tallo both missed, giving Ghana a 2–0 lead.

Boubacar Barry, the Ivorian goalie, then made a save against Afriyie Acquah before Frank Acheampong missed Ghana's fourth penalty shot, tying the game. They each added six additional penalties after that.

After every outfield player had fired a shot, the game was decided by Barry, who stopped a shot from Ghana goalie Razak and then scored past Razak to give the Ivory Coast a 9–8 shootout victory and the championship.

The triumph was Ivory Coast's second Africa Cup of Nations title, after a penalty shootout victory against Ghana in the 1992 final. It propelled them from third to second position in the FIFA World Rankings among African countries.

Ghana's loss was "maybe a touch severe," according to BBC Sport reporters who summarized the final. Acquah of Ghana was chosen man of the match.

The Ivory Coast players took part in a victory parade in Abidjan, the country's commercial center, after coming home. They were eliminated in the group round of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, failing to defend their title.

2017

The 2017 Africa Cup of Nations Final was an association football match organized by the Confederation of African Football to decide the champion of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (CAF).

Cameroon and Egypt met in a friendly match at the Stade de l'Amitié in Libreville, Gabon, on February 5, 2017.

The tournament's sixteen teams were split into four groups of four, with the top two teams from each group continuing to the knockout round.

Cameroon finished second in Group A before defeating Senegal and Ghana in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, respectively, while Egypt advanced to the final by winning Group D and then defeating Morocco and Burkina Faso.

Egypt had a good start in the final, taking a 1-0 lead via Mohamed Elneny after 22 minutes. Cameroon had more possession in the first half than Egypt, but their offense was ineffective, and Egypt lead at halftime.

In the second half, Egypt made little efforts to attack, and Cameroon equalized after 59 minutes by Nicolas Nkoulou, who had been introduced as a replacement.

Egypt was unable to react, and Cameroon continued to have the better opportunities, scoring twice more by Vincent Aboubakar two minutes before the finish to secure a 2–1 victory.

This was their sixth Africa Cup of Nations triumph. They represented CAF at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia as champions, although they did not advance beyond the group stage.

2019

The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations Final was a football match that decided the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations champion. The match between Senegal and Algeria took place on July 19, 2019 at the Cairo International Stadium in Cairo, Egypt.

Algeria won the Africa Cup of Nations for the second time, this time by a score of 1–0. It was their first trophy since 1990.

Baghdad Bounedjah came in from the left and fired with his right foot from just beyond the penalty area, the ball taking a big deflection from defender Salif Sané and looping over the goalie and down into the right corner of the net in the second minute.

2021 Africa Cup of Nations location

Cameroon will host the

2021 Africa Cup of Nations

, which will begin on January 9th. The host country will face Burkina Faso in the first game in Yaounde, with the action continuing all the way to the final on February 6 in the capital city. If AFCON is postponed again, it is unclear when it will be rescheduled.

With the 2022 World Cup not starting until November in Qatar, there might be a break for AFCON in summer 2022, however player fatigue would have to be considered following the club season. After issues with their preparations, there were worries that Cameroon may be deprived of hosting responsibilities.

Abdel Moneim Shatta, the former technical director of the Confederation of African Football, even urged that the tournament be shifted to Qatar in early December.

CAF general secretary Veron Mosengo-Omba has already joined the team in Cameroon to ensure that everything is in place for the January 9 deadline, but the recent rise of Omicron cases may force a reassessment.

African Cup of Nations fixtures 2021

Regarding

African Cup of Nations fixtures 2021

, it should be mentioned that the matches of group stage will take place from 9 to 20 January 2021. After some days of rest, knockout stages will take place from 23 January to 6 February 2021.

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