Mohamed M. Sesay
The Africa Cup of Nations is the most prestigious football (soccer) competition in Africa. It is contested by national teams and organized by the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF). The competition’s format has changed over time, with the number of teams increasing from 3 in 1957 to 24 after several expansions in 2019.
Growing participation has also led to the introduction of qualifying rounds in 1968, the same year that CAF decided to hold the tournament biennially.
The Africa Cup of Nations was first held in February 1957 in Khartoum, Sudan, where Egypt defeated the host nation in the final to win the Abdel Aziz Abdallah Salem Trophy, named after its donor, an Egyptian who was the first CAF president. That trophy was permanently awarded to Ghana in 1978 when it became the first country to win the tournament three times. The next trophy, known as the African Unity Cup, was awarded permanently to Cameroon in 2000 when the indomitable lions claimed their third championship since 1978. In 2002, a new trophy called the Cup of Nations was introduced.
The competition has served as a showcase of talents of African players. In the 1950s and ’60s the tournament’s attacking and entertaining style of play seized the imagination of African fans and attracted European talent scouts, agents, and journalists.
Under the leadership of Ethiopian Ydnekachew Tessema, CAF president from 1972 until his death in 1987, the cup earned greater international prestige. Professionalism was allowed in the competition in 1980 and corporate sponsorships accepted in 1984.
Among the cup’s greatest performers are Samuel Eto’o of Cameroon, who holds the record for most career goals scored in the Cup of Nations (18 goals), and Ivorian striker Laurent Pokou, who tallied five goals in a 6–1 victory over Ethiopia in 1970.
Beyond the boundaries of the playing fields, the Cup of Nations has been a conduit for the articulation of political values and ideas. Having inherited colonial institutions devoid of indigenous symbols of national identity, many independent African governments invested considerable economic and political capital into their national football teams in order to stimulate pride and build unity among their diverse populations.
For example, with the enthusiastic support of Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana won the cup in 1963 and 1965. In winning the 1996 tournament at home, South Africa’s racially mixed team seemed to symbolize football’s power to bridge the gaping social and economic inequalities left by apartheid.
In contrast, the Algerian government was unable to capitalize on Algeria’s victory in the 1990 Cup of Nations, as fans celebrated the team’s triumph in Algiers by chanting their support for the opposition Islamic Salvation Front. Political tensions violently disrupted the Cup of Nations in 2010 where the Togo team bus was violently attacked by separatist gunmen as it traveled into the Angolan enclave of Cabinda on its way to the tournament. Two team officials and the bus driver were killed in that horrendous attack of which the Togolese team withdrew from the 2010 Cup of Nations which was held with 15-team field.
The Africa Cup of Nations is now the 3rd world football competition in terms of its cumulative TV audience, coming after the FIFA World Cup and the European Nations Championship (Euro).
The Africa Cup of Nations is hosted every two years. The number of participants at the final phase, which is ever increasing, is 16 since 1996.
The first edition was played in 1957 with countries competing such as Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia and South Africa. The latter was later on disqualified due to the politics of racial segregation known as apartheid that was going on in the country. In fact South Africa refused to send a multiracial team in the competition and was excluded. This directly qualified Ethiopia for the finals where she was beaten by Egypt, which won over Sudan at the semi-finals. This first final of the Africa Cup of Nations, which ended in 4-0 for Egypt, was played on Saturday 16th February 1957 in Khartoum, Sudan.
In 1962, the tournament was divided into two phases: the qualification phase and the finals phase. The qualification phase was played following a system of direct elimination, with away and return leg matches.
In 1992, the qualification phase became an assorted phase following an addition of a pool system to the direct elimination system. The number of participants, which was eight (8) in 1986, rose to twelve (12).
In 1996, the number of participants at the finals went from 12 to 16 with the return of South Africa into the family of African football, which was also the host country. In 2019, the number of participating teams rose to 24 teams of which Algeria was crowned champion after defeating Senegal by 1-0.
Quantifying five most African Countries that have won the Africa Cup of Nations, Ivory Coast and the Democratic Republic of Congo have both won the same number of titles two times each. Ivory Coast went into the AFCON as the defending champions, having won the tournament’s last edition. Their other victory came back in 1992, and with a strong team at their disposal despite missing the likes of the Toure brothers who have now retired. The country will be looking for their 3rd championship title in the 2022 Africa’s most prestigious footballing competition.
Nigeria is three (3) times winner of the Africa Cup of Nations. Nigeria won their first AFCON tournament in 1980 and was the host country in that edition of the competition. Since then, the nation has emerged victorious two more times in 1994 and in 2013. They have also finished as runners-up 4 times, the second most in the competition’s history.
Ghana is four (4) times winner of the Africa Cup of Nations. Ghana has played in a record nine AFCON finals, and has also lost a record five finals. The latter statistic is the reason they are one below fellow 5-time winners Cameroon in this prestigious list. Their first win came in the 1963 edition when they hosted the tournament for the first time. They successfully defended their title in the next edition and won it for a third time in 1978 (they were the host nation at that time too), and then for a fourth time in 1982.
Cameroon otherwise known as the indomitable lions, have won the Africa Cup of Nations five (5) times, as well as having the distinction of being the first African Team to reach the World Cup quarter-finals (a feat they achieved in 1990). Cameroon is second on the list of most AFCON victories with the nation having lifted the trophy five times. Despite not having many famous players in Europe, Cameroon has managed to do generally well in this competition and has finished as runners-up last in 2008, with their wins coming in the years 1984, 1988, 2000 and 2002 respectively. Cameroon has also qualified for the World Cup more times than any other African nation. The indomitable Lions are players we should look forward to in this 2021 Africa Cup of Nations Tournament.
Egypt is seven (7) times winner of the Africa Cup of Nations. The other teams on this list have some catching up to do if they hope to match Egypt’s brilliant record in this competition, let alone beat the records. Lifting the trophy a record seven times, while also having the distinction of winning it the most times as a host country three times, substantiates that Egyptians are indeed the undisputed kings of the competition and in Africa as a whole. They have played in eight finals and won all of them but one. Their only defeat came in 1962 and their latest victory came in 2010 (where they successfully defended their crown). Egypt was also the very first team to qualify for the World Cup, achieving the feat in 1934.