There are many interesting facts regarding the highly regarded football competition on the continent to be aware of as the 2023 TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations approaches.
The competition will conclude on February 11, 2024, having begun on January 13, 2024, with the first game between the host nation, Cote d’Ivoire, and Group A rival, Guinea-Bissau.
Federal Character presents certain AFCON information that were provided by CAFOnline.com in this article:
- Sudan hosted the inaugural AFCON competition in 1957. In the first competition, only Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan—the hosts—took part. There was not a competition for qualification.
- Due to the nation’s apartheid rules, South Africa was also invited to the inaugural Africa Cup of Nations competition in 1957; however, their invitation was later revoked.
- On January 10, 1957, Egypt defeated Sudan, the host nation, 2-1 in the opening AFCON match.
- In 1957, during Egypt’s 2-1 semifinal victory over host Sudan, Raafat Attia opened the score, becoming the first goal scorer at an AFCON competition.
- In 1957, Egypt won the inaugural AFCON competition, defeating Ethiopia 4-0 in the championship match.
- Egypt finished second in 1962 after losing to hosts Ethiopia in the final of the AFCON, having won the first two competitions in 1957 and 1959.
- The Africa Cup of Nations is being hosted by Cote d’Ivoire for the second time; it was first held there in 1984.
- Eight countries took part in the 1984 AFCON, which was hosted by Cote d’Ivoire. Algeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, and Nigeria are the five nations who will be returning as hosts. Malawi and Togo are left out.
- With seven AFCON titles, Egypt leads the field, followed by Cameroon with five, Ghana with four, Nigeria with three, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Ivory Coast with two apiece.
- Cameroon has participated in seven AFCON finals, winning five of them, while Egypt and Ghana have each advanced to nine AFCON finals.
- Despite playing in four AFCON finals (1992, 2006, 2012, and 2015), Cote d’Ivoire has not scored a single goal in 480 minutes of action. All four games ended 0-0; they won on penalties after extra time in 1992 and 2015 and lost on penalties after extra time in 2006 and 2012.
- Samuel Eto’o, a Cameroonian striker who scored eighteen goals in six Cup of Nations competitions between 2000 and 2010, is the all-time top scorer for the competition.
- When Egypt played Cameroon in the 2017 tournament final in Libreville, goalie Essam el Hadary became the oldest player to appear in the competition at 44 years and 21 days. Egypt lost.
- South Africa’s 0-0 tie with Cape Verde in 2013 was the only time the AFCON’s opening match finished in a draw.
- Egypt, which took home the championship in 2006, was the last host country to advance to the AFCON finals.
- Egypt has advanced to the AFCON final in five of the previous six competitions in which it has competed. They have finished second in 2017 and 2021 but first in 2006, 2008, and 2010. As hosts, they just fell short in 2019.
- Four players have scored in six AFCON tournaments: Samuel Eto’o of Cameroon, Asamoah Gyan of Ghana, Andre Ayew, and Kalusha Bwalya of Zambia. They are the player with the most scoring total across all competition editions.
- The competition will be held for the 34th time since its inception in 1957 with the 2023 AFCON.
- The AFCON is now a 24-team competition instead of the 16-team competition it was in 1996.
- There are 24 teams competing in this, the third edition.
- At the Africa Cup of Nations, 16 players have recorded 17 hat-tricks; however, none have occurred since Soufiane Alloudi scored three goals in Morocco’s 5-1 victory over Namibia in the group stages in 2008.
Six AFCON hat-tricks have been scored by five different players from Egypt. At the competition, no nation has produced as many players with a hat-trick.
- Ad-Diba scored the first hat-trick at the AFCON, accounting for all four of Egypt’s goals in their 4-0 victory over Ethiopia in the 1957 final.
- The only player to score multiple hat-tricks at the Africa Cup of Nations is Hassan El-Shazly of Egypt, who accomplished this feat in 1963 and 1970.
- The only team with two players scoring hat tricks in the same match is Egypt. In a 1963 group-stage match against Nigeria, Hassan El-Shazly and Mohammed Hussein scored every goal between them. The team won 6-3.
- Ahmed Hassan of Egypt and Rigobert Song of Cameroon are the players with the most AFCON appearances; they have each competed in eight final tournaments: 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010; Ghana’s Andre Ayew may tie this record in the upcoming tournament.
- South Africa competed in three AFCON tournaments, placing first in 1996, second in 1998, and third in 2000.
- The only two coaches to win the championship three times are Hassan Shehata (Egypt 2006–2008–2010) and Charles Gyamfi (Ghana 1963–1965, 1982). The only coach to have won the championship in three straight championships is Shehata.
- Two individuals have won the AFCON as both a player and coach: Nigeria’s Stephen Keshi (1994 as a player, 2013 as coach) and Egypt’s Mahmoud El-Gohary (1959 as a coach, 1998 as a player).
- The first coach to win the AFCON with two separate nations is Herve Renard, a Frenchman who led Cote d’Ivoire to victory in 2015 and Zambia in 2012.
- The unfortunate record of losing in the championship game as a player (2002) and coach (2019) is held by Senegal’s Aliou Cisse. Additionally, he has now triumphed in the competition as a coach, winning the trophy with Senegal in the 2021 edition.
- When he guided Tunisia to the championship in 2004, Frenchman Roger Lemmere made history as the first coach to win both the UEFA European Championship and the AFCON. He guided France to the European Championship in 2000.
- At the last edition in Cameroon, Comoros and Gambia were the only two African countries to compete in the AFCON, which has seen participation from 44 different countries.
- The only teams to win the competition on their debuts are Egypt (1957), Ghana (1963), and South Africa (1996).
- Since 2008, Ghana has advanced to the AFCON semi-finals in six of the previous eight competitions. During that span, the team has lost to Egypt in 2010 and Cote d’Ivoire in 2017, both times finishing as finalists.
- Since 1994, Tunisia has qualified for 16 consecutive AFCON tournaments. There has never been a squad that qualified for 16 straight games.
- Egypt is the team with the most AFCON games played (107), most wins (60), and most victories overall. With 102 games played, Ghana has 54 victories. Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria, who have played 99 and 97 games in the finals, respectively, will become members of the centennial club.
- Ndaye Mulamba led the DR Congo to nine goals at the 1974 AFCON. In a single tournament, no player has managed more than this.
- Throughout history, the continental trophy’s name has been altered three times. The Africa Cup of Nations came first, then the African Unity Trophy, and finally the Abdelaziz Abdallah Salem Trophy.
- For the Africa Cup of Nations in 2023, twelve past African champions will travel to Cote d’Ivoire.
- The top 15 rated African teams have all qualified for the 2023 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations.
- Five Southern African countries have qualified for the 2023 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the most the COSAFA region has had at a single final.
- Every champion from the last 25 tournaments dating back to 1974 has earned a spot in the current finals. The 1972 champions Congo are the latest winners to have been left out.
- Every participant from the 1984 competition has advanced to the Africa Cup of Nations in 2023. Libya, the runners-up in 1982, are the latest side to make it to the final without having qualified.