Inception: The African Cup of Nations was first held in 1957, making it one of the oldest continental football competitions in the world.
Initial Participants: The inaugural tournament featured only three teams: Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia. South Africa was disqualified due to apartheid policies.
Record Winners: Egypt holds the record for the most AFCON titles, having won the tournament multiple times.
Frequency and Expansion: Initially, the tournament was held every two years but switched to odd-numbered years in 2013 to avoid conflicts with the FIFA World Cup.
Record Goal Scorer: Cameroonian football legend Samuel Eto’o holds the record for the most goals scored in the history of the African Cup of Nations. He amassed this record over six different tournaments.
Highest Scoring Match: One of the highest scoring matches in AFCON history was the game between Egypt and Nigeria in 1963, which ended with a staggering 6-3 victory for Egypt.
Fastest Goal: Ayoub El Kaabi of Morocco scored one of the fastest goals in AFCON history, finding the net just 36 seconds into a match against Guinea in 2018.
Most Appearances: Egypt’s legendary goalkeeper, Essam El-Hadary, holds the record for the most tournament appearances. He played in the AFCON from 1996 to 2017, participating in eight tournaments.
Disciplinary Records: The tournament has seen its share of disciplinary actions. For example, in the 2010 tournament, there were three red cards in a single match between Angola and Algeria.
Oldest Goal Scorer: At the age of 39, Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary scored from a penalty kick during the 2016 tournament, making him one of the oldest goal scorers in the history of the competition.
Defensive Records: Egypt also holds the record for the longest streak without conceding a goal in the tournament, maintaining a clean sheet for 1,122 minutes from 2010 to 2017.
