History of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON)

World Football January 13, 2026 68

The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is Africa’s premier football tournament, organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) since 1957. What started as a tiny tournament with just three teams Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia has grown into a 24-team continental spectacle, showcasing the best talent Africa has to offer. The history of the Africa Cup of Nations is interesting.

Over the decades, history of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) was filled with legendary teams, iconic players, and unforgettable finals, making it the heartbeat of African football. From Egypt’s record-breaking performances to Zambia’s emotional victory in 2012, the tournament is as much about football as it is about the continent’s history and spirit.

History

FCON reflects Africa’s diverse football culture.

1950s–1960s: Egypt and Ghana dominated, establishing early footballing legacies.
1970s: A decade of champions, with six nations winning titles including Zaire and Morocco.
1980s: Cameroon’s domination and strong performances from Algeria and Ghana.
1990s: The return of South Africa after the end of apartheid and Nigeria’s rise.
2000s: Egypt’s unprecedented treble (2006, 2008, 2010) and rising competition from other nations.
2010s–2020s: Tournament expansion to 24 teams, switch to odd-numbered years, and new champions like Senegal.

AFCON has faced challenges, from political crises to health emergencies like Ebola and COVID-19, but it has remained a unifying festival of African football.

AFCON Finals Results

Year	Host	Champion	Score	Runner-up
1957	Sudan	Egypt 🥇	4–0	Ethiopia
1959	United Arab Republic	United Arab Republic 🥇	Round-robin	Sudan
1962	Ethiopia	Ethiopia 🥇	4–2 (a.e.t.)	United Arab Republic
1963	Ghana	Ghana 🥇	3–0	Sudan
1965	Tunisia	Ghana 🥇	3–2 (a.e.t.)	Tunisia
1968	Ethiopia	Congo-Kinshasa 🥇	1–0	Ghana
1970	Sudan	Sudan 🥇	1–0	Ghana
1972	Cameroon	PR Congo 🥇	3–2	Mali
1974	Egypt	Zaire 🥇	2–2 / 2–0 replay	Zambia
1976	Ethiopia	Morocco 🥇	Round-robin	Guinea
1978	Ghana	Ghana 🥇	2–0	Uganda
1980	Nigeria	Nigeria 🥇	3–0	Algeria
1982	Libya	Ghana 🥇	1–1 (7–6 p)	Libya
1984	Ivory Coast	Cameroon 🥇	3–1	Nigeria
1986	Egypt	Egypt 🥇	0–0 (5–4 p)	Cameroon
1988	Morocco	Cameroon 🥇	1–0	Nigeria
1990	Algeria	Algeria 🥇	1–0	Nigeria
1992	Senegal	Ivory Coast 🥇	0–0 (11–10 p)	Ghana
1994	Tunisia	Nigeria 🥇	2–1	Zambia
1996	South Africa	South Africa 🥇	2–0	Tunisia
1998	Burkina Faso	Egypt 🥇	2–0	South Africa
2000	Ghana/Nigeria	Cameroon 🥇	2–2 (4–3 p)	Nigeria
2002	Mali	Cameroon 🥇	0–0 (3–2 p)	Senegal
2004	Tunisia	Tunisia 🥇	2–1	Morocco
2006	Egypt	Egypt 🥇	0–0 (4–2 p)	Ivory Coast
2008	Ghana	Egypt 🥇	1–0	Cameroon
2010	Angola	Egypt 🥇	1–0	Ghana
2012	Gabon/Equatorial Guinea	Zambia 🥇	0–0 (8–7 p)	Ivory Coast
2013	South Africa	Nigeria 🥇	1–0	Burkina Faso
2015	Equatorial Guinea	Ivory Coast 🥇	0–0 (9–8 p)	Ghana
2017	Gabon	Cameroon 🥇	2–1	Egypt
2019	Egypt	Algeria 🥇	1–0	Senegal
2021	Cameroon	Senegal 🥇	0–0 (4–2 p)	Egypt
2023	Ivory Coast	Ivory Coast 🥇	2–1	Nigeria
2025	Morocco	TBD	TBD	TBD
2027	Kenya/Tanzania/Uganda	TBD	TBD	TBD
2028	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD

Third-Place Matches

Year	Host	Third Place	Score	Fourth Place
1962	Ethiopia	Tunisia 🥉	3–0	Uganda
1963	Ghana	United Arab Republic 🥉	3–0	Ethiopia
1965	Tunisia	Ivory Coast 🥉	1–0	Senegal
1968	Ethiopia	Ethiopia 🥉	1–0	—
1970	Sudan	United Arab Republic 🥉	3–1	Ivory Coast
1972	Cameroon	Cameroon 🥉	5–2	Zaire
1974	Egypt	Egypt 🥉	4–0	PR Congo
1976	Ethiopia	Egypt 🥉	Round-robin	—
1978	Ghana	Nigeria 🥉	2–0 (awd)	Tunisia
1980	Nigeria	Egypt 🥉	2–0	Morocco
1982	Libya	Algeria 🥉	2–0	—
1984	Ivory Coast	Algeria 🥉	3–1	Egypt
1986	Egypt	Morocco 🥉	3–2	—
1988	Morocco	Morocco 🥉	4–3 p	—
1990	Algeria	Senegal 🥉	1–0	—
1992	Senegal	Cameroon 🥉	2–1	—
1994	Tunisia	Ivory Coast 🥉	3–1	Mali
1996	South Africa	Ghana 🥉	1–0	—
1998	Burkina Faso	DR Congo 🥉	4–1 p	—
2000	Ghana/Nigeria	Tunisia 🥉	4–3 p	—
2002	Mali	Nigeria 🥉	1–0	—
2004	Tunisia	Mali 🥉	3–1	—
2006	Egypt	Senegal 🥉	1–0	—
2008	Ghana	Ivory Coast 🥉	4–2	—
2010	Angola	Algeria 🥉	1–0	—
2012	Gabon/Equatorial Guinea	Ghana 🥉	2–0	—
2013	South Africa	Ghana 🥉	3–1	—
2015	Equatorial Guinea	DR Congo 🥉	4–2 p	—
2017	Gabon	Ghana 🥉	1–0	—
2019	Egypt	Nigeria 🥉	1–0	—
2021	Cameroon	Cameroon 🥉	5–3 p	—
2023	Ivory Coast	DR Congo 🥉	6–5 p	—

Summary of AFCON Titles

Team	Winners	Runners-up	Third Place	Fourth Place	Total Medals
Egypt	7	3	3	3	16
Cameroon	5	2	2	1	10
Ghana	4	5	1	4	14
Nigeria	3	5	8	0	16
Ivory Coast	3	2	4	2	11
Algeria	2	1	2	2	7
DR Congo	2	0	2	2	6
Zambia	1	2	3	0	6
Tunisia	1	2	1	3	7
Sudan	1	2	1	0	4
Senegal	1	2	0	3	6
South Africa	1	1	2	0	4
Ethiopia	1	1	1	2	5
Morocco	1	1	1	2	5
Congo	1	0	0	1	2
Mali	0	1	2	3	6
Burkina Faso	0	1	1	2	4
Uganda	0	1	0	1	2
Guinea	0	1	0	0	1
Libya	0	1	0	0	1
Equatorial Guinea	0	0	0	1	1

Key Highlights

Most Successful Nation: Egypt (7 titles)
Most Consecutive Wins: Egypt (2006, 2008, 2010)
Recent Champions: Ivory Coast (2023)
Historic Firsts: Senegal (2021), Zambia (2012)

The History of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) showcases decades of thrilling matches, legendary champions, and unforgettable moments that shaped African football. From Egypt’s record seven titles to emerging stars across the continent, AFCON continues to be the pinnacle of African football, uniting nations and inspiring fans worldwide