Plan:
- Introduction
- 1 History
- 1.1 First tournaments
- 1.2 1970s
- 1.3 1980s
- 1.4 1990s
- 1.5 2000s
- 2 Winners
- 3 Winners
- 3.1 Top scorers
- 4 Notes
Introduction
African Cup of Nations(fr. Coupe d'Afrique des nations, English African Cup of Nations- the main competition of national teams, held under the auspices of the Confederation of African Football (CAF). The first tournament was held in 1957, that is, the competition is as old as CAF itself. At first the number of participants was small, but gradually the tournament covered the entire African continent. Since 1968, the tournament has been held regularly every two years. The winner receives the right to participate in the Confederations Cup. Starting in 2013, the tournament will be held in odd-numbered years and thus will not take place in World Championship years.
Story
First tournaments
The first tournament was held in 1957 in Khartoum with the participation of only three teams: Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia. The South African team also planned to play in the tournament. She was due to play in the semi-finals against Ethiopia, but the South Africans agreed to send a team consisting of all white or all black players. CAF demanded to send a mixed team. In the end South Africa refused to participate in the tournament and left CAF. Before its re-entry into the Confederation in 1992, South Africa did not take part in international competitions on the African continent.
The first tournament was won by the Egyptians. In the final match they defeated Ethiopia 4:0, with El Diba scoring all four goals. The same three teams took part in the second championship, which was held in Egypt in 1959. The teams played in a round-robin format, and the Egyptians again became champions. They beat Ethiopia 4:0 (Gori scored a hat-trick) and Sudan 2:1. The teams of Tunisia and Uganda took part in the 1962 tournament in Ethiopia for the first time. This time the Ethiopian team became the champion. In the final, she defeated the Egyptians with a score of 4:2 in extra time and prevented them from winning a third title in a row.
In 1963, the national teams of Ghana and Nigeria played in Ghana for the first time. Six teams were divided into two groups, and the teams of Ghana and Sudan reached the finals. The hosts won 3-0 and became the main force on the continent for more than a decade. During this period, they became champions twice and finished second twice.
In 1965, in Tunisia, the Ghanaian team again became champions. In the final, she defeated the home team with a score of 3:2 after extra time. In the same year, in order to speed up the development of African football, a new rule was introduced: each country could field only two players playing in non-African countries.
In the 1968 tournament, the number of participants increased to eighteen, and began to be held qualifying tournament. The top six teams advanced to final tournament, and the owner of the championship and the current champion got there without qualifying games. In the final in Addis Ababa, the teams of the DR Congo (later the country became known as Zaire) and Ghana, which defended the champion title, met. The DR Congo team won a sensational victory with a score of 1:0, and Kalala scored the only goal. Ghana played again in the 1970 final in Khartoum, but lost 0:1 to the hosts, Sudan.
1.2. 1970s
In 1972, the Congo team won in Yaounde. In the final, the Congolese beat the Mali team with a score of 3:2. In 1974, Zaire played in the final again, this time against Zambia. The first game ended in a draw 2:2, and in the replay Zaire won 2:0. By the way, this was the first replay in the history of the African Cup of Nations. Zairean striker Ndiaye scored all four goals in these matches. A few months later, the Zaire team took part in the final tournament of the World Cup.
Guinea achieved a number of victories at club level in the 1970s, but this did not affect the national team's performance. The closest the Guinean team came to winning was the 1976 Cup in Ethiopia. That year, instead of semifinals and finals, the top four teams played in a round-robin format. Guinea needed a win in their last game against Morocco to take first place. Sheriff gave the Guineans the lead in the 33rd minute, but Baba equalized four minutes before the end. As a result, the Moroccans beat Guinea by one point and became champions.
However, in general, the Moroccan national team, like other teams from North Africa, did not perform very well in the African Cup of Nations. Despite participating in three World Cup finals, the 1976 title remains Morocco's only African title. Given the multiple victories of North African clubs, the lackluster performance national teams looks amazing.
Nigeria won the Cup for the first time in 1980 at home. In addition to her, the teams of Algeria, Egypt and Morocco reached the semi-finals. Once again, the North African teams were unsuccessful. In the final, the Nigerians, supported by 80,000 fans, defeated the Algerian national team with a score of 3:0 thanks to accurate strikes by Odegbami (twice) and Laval.
1.3. 1980s
Ghana regained the title best team Africa at the 1982 Cup in Libya. The two foreign players rule was abandoned as too many Africans were already playing in Europe, and teams significantly strengthened their squads. In the opening match, Libya beat Ghana 2:0, and then the same teams met in the final. This game showed the greater experience of the Ghana national team players. First they held the game to a 1:1 draw and then won in a penalty shootout - 7:6.
In 1984, Cameroon won its first title in Ivory Coast. In the semi-finals, the Cameroonians defeated the Algerian team only on penalties, and in the final they beat Nigeria - 3:1. That Cameroon team included many participants in the 1982 World Cup in Spain, including the incomparable Roger Milla.
The 1986 tournament in Egypt was marked by numerous incidents both on and off the field. So, a week before the start of the tournament, conscripts rebelled in Egypt. A curfew was introduced and there was a real threat of the competition being cancelled. Fortunately, the curfew was lifted and the tournament took place. True, to prevent possible unrest, the stadiums were surrounded by tanks and armored vehicles.
As for football itself, many players and coaches criticized the refereeing. For example, the coach of the Moroccan national team, Jose Faria, said in relation to one of the matches that there was more rudeness in it than in the rugby match between England and France, which took place at the same time. The winner of the previous Cup, the Cameroon team again reached the final, where they met the hosts, the Egyptians. The entire tournament was marked by defensive tactics, and the final game was no exception. There were no goals scored in regular or extra time, and the Egyptians won the penalty shootout - 5:4, which delighted the hundred-thousand-strong audience at the International Stadium in Cairo.
The Cameroonians regained the championship title in 1988 in Morocco. In the semi-finals, they beat the hosts with a single goal, and the Nigerians only defeated the Algerian team in a penalty shootout. 50,000 fans at the Casablanca stadium witnessed Cameroon's 1-0 victory. The only goal was scored in the 55th minute by Emmanuel Kounde.
In 1990, in Algeria, the Nigerians again played in the final. But their opponents were the home team, supported by 80,000 spectators. Oudjani's goal in the 38th minute brought victory to the Algerians. And the Nigerians could only complain about bad luck - they reached the final four times, but won only once.
1.4. 1990s
In 1992, a new name appeared on the list of winners - Côte d'Ivoire. The tournament was held for the first time in Senegal, and the number of participants was increased to twelve. The reason for this was the increasing number of people wishing to participate in the tournament every year. Even small countries such as Burkina Faso, Swaziland and the Seychelles wanted to try their hand at the African Cup of Nations. In the semi-finals, the Ivorians defeated the Cameroon team only on penalties. And in the final they were opposed by their eastern neighbors - the Ghanaian team. In regular and extra time the score was not opened, and in the penalty shoot-out, one of the most exciting in the history of football, the Ivorians took the lead - 11:10.
In April 1993, Zambia experienced tragedy. The plane on which the national team flew from Mauritius to qualifying game World Championships in Senegal, fell into the sea off the coast of Gabon. All 30 people on board, including 11 football players, were killed. But several players who played in Europe were not on the plane. They became the core new team, which was able to make it to the final tournament of the 1994 African Cup of Nations in Tunisia. The sympathies of the majority of fans were on the side of Zambia, but in the final they lost to the Nigerian national team. The Nigerians reached the final for the fourth time in 10 years and finally achieved victory.
In 1996, the number of teams was increased to sixteen. This was largely due to the tournament being moved to South Africa. Kenya, which was originally scheduled to host the tournament, pulled out due to lack of funds.
South African fans were still celebrating their rugby team's victory in the World Cup, but the players performed no worse. A strong South African team, many of whose players have played in Europe, took first place. True, their task was made easier by the absence of the Nigerians, who withdrew from the tournament for security reasons (according to the official version) a few days before the opening ceremony.
In 1998, the South Africans reached the final again. Ajax forward Benny McCarthy was recognized best player, and shared the title with seven goals top scorer. But in final game he failed to score and South Africa lost 0-2 to Egypt.
In 2000, in Nigeria (the tournament was held jointly with Ghana, initially it was supposed to be held in Zimbabwe), the Cameroon team created a sensation in the final match against the hosts of the tournament. The star-studded Nigerian squad that shone at the 1998 World Cup faltered when the final match ended in a 2-2 draw. The Cameroonians' nerves turned out to be stronger, they won the penalty shootout 4:3. Cameroonian captain Rigobert Song scored the winning penalty.
1.5. 2000s
At the next tournament in 2002 in Mali, Cameroon repeated its success, beating Senegal in the final, also on penalties.
The next two championships, in 2004 and 2006, were won by the hosts of the tournament - Tunisia and Egypt, respectively.
In 2010, at the tournament in Angola, Egypt won their 8th and third consecutive title.
2. Prize-winners
| Year | Venue | Final game | match for 3rd place | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Check | 2nd place | 3rd place | Check | 4th place | ||||
| 1957 Review |
4 − 0 | SA disqualified 1 | |||||||
| 1959 Review |
OAR | OAR |
2 | Only three teams participated | |||||
| 1962 Review |
4 − 2 (d.v.) | OAR |
3 − 0 | Uganda |
|||||
| 1963 Review |
3 − 0 | OAR |
3 − 0 | ||||||
| 1965 Review |
3 − 2 (d.v.) | Ivory Coast |
1 − 0 | ||||||
| 1968 Review |
DR Congo |
1 − 0 | Ivory Coast |
1 − 0 | |||||
| 1970 Review |
1 − 0 | OAR |
3 − 1 | Ivory Coast |
|||||
| 1972 Review |
Congo |
3 − 2 | 5 − 2 | Zaire |
|||||
| 1974 Review |
Zaire |
2 − 2
(d.v.) replay 2 − 0 |
Zambia |
4 − 0 | Congo |
||||
| 1976 Review |
3 | Guinea |
3 | ||||||
| 1978 Review |
2 − 0 | Uganda |
2 − 0 3 | ||||||
| 1980 Review |
3 − 0 | 2 − 0 | |||||||
| 1982 Review |
1 − 1
(d.v.) (clause 7 − 6) |
Zambia |
2 − 0 | ||||||
| 1984 Review |
Ivory Coast | 3 − 1 | 3 − 1 | ||||||
| 1986 Review |
0 − 0
(d.v.) (clause 5 − 4) |
Ivory Coast |
3 − 2 | ||||||
| 1988 Review |
1 − 0 | 1 − 1
(d.v.) (clause 4 − 3) |
|||||||
| 1990 Review |
1 − 0 | Zambia |
1 − 0 | ||||||
| 1992 Review |
Ivory Coast |
0 − 0
(d.v.) (clause 11 - 10) |
2 − 1 | ||||||
| 1994 Review |
2 − 1 | Zambia |
Ivory Coast |
3 − 1 | |||||
| 1996 Review |
South Africa | South Africa |
2 − 0 | Zambia |
1 − 0 | ||||
| 1998 Review |
2 − 0 | South Africa |
DR Congo |
4 − 4
(d.v.) (clause 4 − 1) |
|||||
| 2000 Review |
2 − 2
(d.v.) (clause 4 − 3) |
South Africa |
2 − 2
(d.v.) (clause 4 − 3) |
||||||
| 2002 Review |
0 − 0
(d.v.) (clause 3 − 2) |
1 − 0 | |||||||
| 2004 Review |
2 − 1 | 2 − 1 | |||||||
| 2006 Review |
0 − 0
(d.v.) (clause 4 − 2) |
Ivory Coast |
1 − 0 | ||||||
| 2008 Review |
1 − 0 | 4 − 2 | Ivory Coast |
||||||
| 2010 Review |
1 − 0 | 1 − 0 | |||||||
| 2012 Review |
|||||||||
| 2013 Review |
|||||||||
| 2015 Review |
|||||||||
| 2017 Review |
South Africa | ||||||||
1 In 1957, the South African Union team refused to participate in the tournament and left the CAF.
2 In 1959, the three participating teams played against each other in a round-robin tournament. The UAR team's 2:1 victory over Sudan, which made them champions, was also last game tournament.
3 In 1976, the winner was determined in the final group tournament of 4 teams. The fate of first place was decided in last match between the national teams of Guinea and Morocco. Guinea needed to win the match to win the tournament, but the match ended in a draw - 1:1. In another match, where the fate of 3rd place was decided, the Nigerian team won (3:2).
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