History of the Africa Cup of Nations Timeline

In 1963, Ghana made its first appearance as it hosted the event and won the title after beating Sudan in the final.

Ghana repeated as champions two years later in Tunisia—equalling Egypt as two-time winners—with a squad that included only two returning members from the 1963 team.

Ivory Coast forward Laurent Pokou led the 1968 and 1970 tournaments in scoring, with six and eight goals respectively, and his total of 14 goals remained the all-time record until 2008.

Six nations won titles from 1970 to 1980: Sudan, Congo-Brazzaville, Zaire, Morocco, Ghana, and Nigeria.

Zaire's second title in the 1974 edition—it won its first as the Democratic Republic of Congo—came after facing Zambia in the final.

Morocco won their first title in the 1976 ANC held in Ethiopia.

Image source: 1976 African Cup of Nations

Ghana took its third championship in 1978, becoming the first nation to win three titles. As the first winner of three tournaments, Ghana obtained the right to permanently hold the trophy.

Algeria lost in the final against hosts Nigeria in the 1980 tournament, allowing the Super Eagles to capture their first championship.

Image source: 1980 African Cup of Nations

Between 1980 and 1990, Cameroon reached the final of the Africa Cup three times in a row, winning twice in 1984 and 1988 and losing once on penalties against Egypt in the 1986 edition.

After the 1980 edition, Algeria reached the semi-finals of every edition except the 1986 cup until they eventually won the competition in 1990, when the 17th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations was held.

Image source: 1990 African Cup of Nations

Ghana's fourth continental title came in the 1982 cup tournament, where they beat host Libya in the final.

Image source: 1982 African Cup of Nations

Nigerian forward Rashidi Yekini, who had led the 1992 tournament with four goals, repeated as top scorer with five goals.

Nigeria, who had just qualified to the World Cup for the first time, won the tournament, beating Zambia—who a year before had lost most of their national squad in a plane crash while travelling to play a World Cup qualification match.

Image source: 1994 African Cup of Nations

The 2006 tournament was won by the hosts, Egypt, who reached a continental-record fifth title.

Image source: 2006 Africa Cup of Nations

The 2008 tournament was hosted by Ghana, and saw Egypt retain the trophy, winning its record-extending sixth tournament by defeating Cameroon 1–0 in the final. Samuel Eto'o's tally surpassed Laurent Pokou's long-standing record of 14 goals that year.

Image source: 2008 Africa Cup of Nations

Egypt set a new record in the 2010 tournament, hosted by Angola, by winning its third consecutive title (2006, 2008, 2010) after defeating Ghana 1–0 in the final, retaining the gold-plated cup indefinitely and extending its record to seven continental titles. On 31 January 2010, Egypt set a record of not being defeated for 19 consecutive Cup of Nations matches and nine consecutive wins.

Image source: 2010 Africa Cup of Nations

The second trophy, awarded from 1980 to 2000, was named 'Trophy of African Unity' or 'African Unity Cup'. It was given to CAF by the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa prior to the 1980 tournament and featured the Olympic rings over a map of the continent engraved on a cylindrical piece.

In 2001, the third trophy was revealed, a gold-plated cup designed and made in Italy. Cameroon, permanent holders of the previous trophy, were the first nation awarded it after winning the 2002 edition—their second consecutive title, the first repeat since Ghana in the 1960s.

In 2011, Morocco won the bid to host the 2015 edition, and Libya won the right to host the 2013 tournament, but the 2011 Libyan civil war prompted Libya and South Africa to trade years, with South Africa hosting in 2013 and Libya in 2017. Ongoing fighting ultimately prompted CAF to move the 2017 tournament to Gabon.

Image source: 2013 Africa Cup of Nations

In 2012, co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, Zambia won the final after a penalty shootout against Ivory Coast. This drew increased media attention since the match took place only a few hundred meters from the crash site of the 1993 air disaster of their national team.

Image source: 2012 Africa Cup of Nations

The 2013 tournament was won by Nigeria, beating first-time finalists Burkina Faso.

The West African Ebola virus epidemic disrupted the tournament. The 2015 edition was scheduled to be held in Morocco, but Morocco refused to hold it on the allotted dates due to Ebola concerns, so it was moved to Equatorial Guinea.

Image source: 2015 Africa Cup of Nations

From 2019 the tournament was expanded to 24 teams. Algeria won the African Cup of Nations 2019, defeating Senegal 1–0 in the final—their second title and first since 1990. Prize money amounted to $4.5 million for the winner and $2.5 million for runners-up Senegal.

Image source: 2019 Africa Cup of Nations

Match days 3 and 4 of the 2021 qualifiers, slated for 25–30 March 2020, were postponed due to COVID-19. The 2021 tournament, hosted by Cameroon, was postponed to 2022. CAF increased the winner's prize from $4.5 million to $5 million, with $2.75 million for the runners-up.

Image source: 2021 Africa Cup of Nations

The 2023 edition of the Cup was held from January 2024, mainly due to the heat in host Ivory Coast.

Image source: 2023 Africa Cup of Nations

The 2025 event, the 35th edition, was held in December 2025 and January 2026, with the timing due to the new quadrennial FIFA Club World Cup tournament. Prize money was increased from US$7 million in 2023 to US$10 million.

Image source: 2025 Africa Cup of Nations

Senegal beat host nation Morocco 1–0 in the final at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat on 19 January 2026, but the result was overturned by CAF's appeal board on 17 March 2026 on the basis that the Senegal players stormed off the pitch to forfeit the match. On 24 March 2026, the Court of Arbitration for Sport stated it was approached by the Senegalese Football Federation appealing the decision.