The AFCON tournament began in 1957 with just four teams competing and has now grown to include 24 nations from across the continent. Here we’ll look at the five most succesful nations to have competed at the Africa Cup of Nations.
EGYPT – 7 Titles
Leading the pack with the most AFCON titles is Egypt. Their remarkable achievement includes seven AFCON championships, solidifying their status as the most dominant team.
Egypt secured their initial victory in 1957 and continued their triumphs in 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008 and 2010, with three of these victories secured on their home soil.
The North Africans have appeared in nine finals, winning all except in 1962 and 2022. They last won in 2010, but overall the Egyptians are the clear kings of this competition.
Cameroon – 5 Titles
The hosts of AFCON 2021, Cameroon ranks as the second-most successful team, securing the title five times. The peak of their success came in the early 2000s when the Indomitable Lions secured consecutive trophies in 2000 and 2002.
Cameroon managed to get out of their group at this edition of the tournament before going down to Nigeria in the Round of 16. They came second in 2008 and won the title in 1984, 1988, 2000, 2002 and 2017. They have qualified for the World Cup more times than any other African country.
Ghana – 4 Titles
Ghana won their first Africa Cup of Nations trophy in 1963 and then won it three more times in 1965, 1978 and 1982 (four in total). Since they were the first team to win three AFCON titles, Ghana got to keep the original trophy called the Abdelaziz Abdallah Salem Trophy in 1978 as a permanent honour.
Things haven’t been so rosy of late, however. They failed to make it out of their group, only amassing two points. That failure led to the axing of manager Chris Hughton.
Nigeria – 3 Titles
Nigeria have tasted AFCON success three times, with their initial victory occurring in 1980. The team secured a second title in 1994, hosted in Tunisia. The third triumph for Nigeria came in 2013 during the tournament held in South Africa, marking their most recent African title.
The team has many talented new players like Kelechi Iheanacho, Alex Iwobi and the world-class Victor Osihmen leading the team’s attack. They’re through to the quarter-finals at this edition of the tournament after cruising to a 2-0 win over Cameroon in their Round of 16 tie.
Ivory Coast – 2 Titles
Ivory Coast has been one of the best teams on the contienet for some time now, regularly qualifying for the World Cup and competing for AFCON titles. They’ve won the Africa Cup of Nations on two occasions – 1992 and 2015. It is considered one of the best teams in the last ten years with a standout player Didier Drogba, who was named the best African footballer.
With a less glamourous side now than over the last decade or so, they will rely on home support to go deep in this edition of AFCON.
