Every AFCON Winner: Africa Cup of Nations Champions (1957–2025)
35 entries · verified 2026-07-20 · free · checked by Ball IQ
The Africa Cup of Nations is the continent's oldest and most prestigious international football tournament, first contested in 1957 with just three teams: Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia. From those modest beginnings it has grown into a 24-nation showpiece watched by hundreds of millions, staged every two years and long regarded as the toughest trophy to win outside the World Cup itself.
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Host |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Egypt | Ethiopia | Sudan |
| 1959 | Egypt | Sudan | Egypt |
| 1962 | Ethiopia | Egypt | Ethiopia |
| 1963 | Ghana | Sudan | Ghana |
| 1965 | Ghana | Tunisia | Tunisia |
| 1968 | DR Congo | Ghana | Ethiopia |
| 1970 | Sudan | Ghana | Sudan |
| 1972 | Congo | Mali | Cameroon |
| 1974 | Zaire | Zambia | Egypt |
| 1976 | Morocco | Guinea | Ethiopia |
| 1978 | Ghana | Uganda | Ghana |
| 1980 | Nigeria | Algeria | Nigeria |
| 1982 | Ghana | Libya | Libya |
| 1984 | Cameroon | Nigeria | Ivory Coast |
| 1986 | Egypt | Cameroon | Egypt |
| 1988 | Cameroon | Nigeria | Morocco |
| 1990 | Algeria | Nigeria | Algeria |
| 1992 | Ivory Coast | Ghana | Senegal |
| 1994 | Nigeria | Zambia | Tunisia |
| 1996 | South Africa | Tunisia | South Africa |
| 1998 | Egypt | South Africa | Burkina Faso |
| 2000 | Cameroon | Nigeria | Ghana & Nigeria |
| 2002 | Cameroon | Senegal | Mali |
| 2004 | Tunisia | Morocco | Tunisia |
| 2006 | Egypt | Ivory Coast | Egypt |
| 2008 | Egypt | Cameroon | Ghana |
| 2010 | Egypt | Ghana | Angola |
| 2012 | Zambia | Ivory Coast | Gabon & Equatorial Guinea |
| 2013 | Nigeria | Burkina Faso | South Africa |
| 2015 | Ivory Coast | Ghana | Equatorial Guinea |
| 2017 | Cameroon | Egypt | Gabon |
| 2019 | Algeria | Senegal | Egypt |
| 2021 | Senegal | Egypt | Cameroon |
| 2023 | Ivory Coast | Nigeria | Ivory Coast |
| 2025 | Morocco | Senegal | Morocco |
Egypt are the undisputed kings of the competition. The Pharaohs claimed the very first edition in 1957 and have gone on to lift the trophy a record seven times, including a hat-trick of titles in 2006, 2008 and 2010. Cameroon follow with five crowns, while Ghana and Nigeria have each been champions on multiple occasions. Powerhouses from every corner of the continent — from Zambia's fairytale 2012 triumph to Algeria, Senegal and Ivory Coast in the modern era — have all had their moment.
The three most recent editions each carried a quirk of the calendar and, in one case, of the courtroom. AFCON 2021 was played in early 2022 in Cameroon and won by Senegal; AFCON 2023 was played in early 2024 in Ivory Coast, where the host nation recovered from a group-stage scare to be crowned champions; and AFCON 2025, held in Morocco, ended in a contested final. Below is the full roll of honour, one row per tournament, from 1957 to the present day.
Countries With the Most AFCON Titles
The Africa Cup of Nations has crowned the continent's champions since 1957. This page ranks every winner by number of titles — a list headed, emphatically, by one nation.
Egypt are the kings of African football with 7 titles, more than any other country. Cameroon follow on 5 and Ghana on 4, while a broad group of nations from across the continent have all had their moment lifting the trophy.
| Rank | Country | Titles | Years won |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Egypt | 7 | 1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010 |
| 2 | Cameroon | 5 | 1984, 1988, 2000, 2002, 2017 |
| 3 | Ghana | 4 | 1963, 1965, 1978, 1982 |
| 4 | Ivory Coast | 3 | 1992, 2015, 2023 |
| 4 | Nigeria | 3 | 1980, 1994, 2013 |
| 6 | Algeria | 2 | 1990, 2019 |
| 6 | Morocco | 2 | 1976, 2025 |
| 8 | Congo | 1 | 1972 |
| 8 | DR Congo | 1 | 1968 |
| 8 | Ethiopia | 1 | 1962 |
| 8 | Senegal | 1 | 2021 |
| 8 | South Africa | 1 | 1996 |
| 8 | Sudan | 1 | 1970 |
| 8 | Tunisia | 1 | 2004 |
| 8 | Zaire | 1 | 1974 |
| 8 | Zambia | 1 | 2012 |
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