The African Nations Cup is hotly anticipated and coveted. The African answer to the Euro cup, many countries regularly contest for the historic trophy, aiming to consolidate their position as African footballing giants.
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Indeed, the African Nations Cup has been on for a long time, but do you know the most successful nations in the tournament’s history?
Let us talk about some of them.
Ivory Coast
Also called The Elephants, the Ivory Coast national men’s football team is the fifth most successful team in the African Nations Cup.
They are run by the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) and have the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny Stade National as their home stadium.
When you hear of Ivory Coast, who comes to mind? Of course, the country featured some of its key players like Didier Drogba and Didier Zokora.
Throughout Ivory Coast’s participation in the African Nations Cup, they emerged winners twice (1992 & 2015) and runner-ups twice (2006 & 2012). Ivory Coast also came in third place four times (1965, 1968, 1986, & 1994) and fourth place two times (1970 & 2008).
Nigeria
The Super Eagles take the fourth spot as the most successful men’s teams in the African Nations Cup. They are overseen by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and reside in the Moshood Abiola National Stadium.
The Nigerian national football team has a list of talented football players, including Ahmed Musa, with the most caps. They also take the spot as the fifth highest-ranking team in the FIFA Men’s World Ranking System.
The Nigerian national football team earned the African Nations Cup thrice (1980, 1994 & 2013) and came in second place four times (1984, 1988, 1990 & 2000). They came in fourth place many times, though— eight times (1976, 1978, 1992, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2010 & 2019).
Ghana
The Ghana national men’s football team sits at the third position in the ranks. The Black Stars are one of the most successful football teams in the African Nations Cup. They are governed by the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and have André Ayew as their star player.
The Ghana national football team has shown good performance stats in the African Nations Cup, winning the tournament four times (1963, 1965, 1978, & 1982). They are also a five-time runner-up (1968, 1970, 1992, 2010, & 2015). Also, they came in third place (2008) once and fourth place four times (1996, 2012, 2013, & 2017).
Cameroon
Standing as the most qualified African team in the FIFA World Cup, the Cameroon national men’s football team also succeeded in the African National Cup. As they are sometimes called, the Indomitable Lions take the second spot as the most successful team.
The Fédération Camerounaise de Football (FECAFOOT) oversees the Cameroon national football team. They have Olembe Stadium as their home stadium and feature top players like Samuel Eto’o and Vincent Aboubakar.
Regarding the African Nations Cup, the Cameroon national football team has won five times (1984, 1988, 2000, 2002, & 2017). They have come in second place twice (1986 & 2008), third place twice (1972 & 2021), and fourth place once (1992).
Egypt
The Pharaohs, Egypt’s national men’s football team, is the most successful team in the African Nations Cup. They have the Cairo International Stadium as their home stadium but sometimes have their home matches played at the Borg El Arab Stadium. The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) oversees the affairs of the national team.
The Egyptian national men’s football team had Essam El Hadary, the oldest player to have played at the World Cup. On the other hand, their star players were Ahmed Hassan, who had the most caps (184), and Hossam Hassan, who scored the most goals (68). Not only are they known to be the most successful team in the African Nations Cup, but they were also known to have something fun-fact worthy.
The Egyptian national men’s football team, The Pharaohs, won the African Nations Cup seven times (1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008 & 2010). They also came in second place three times (1962, 2017 & 2021), third place three times (1963, 1970 & 1974), and fourth place three times (1976, 1980 & 1984).
Conclusion
The African Nations Cup competition keeps the spirit of Africans high. Every listed national team is known to have a strong team, which makes the competition intense. Do you see other African countries overthrowing these five countries in the future?