The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) has become a staple in the footballing calendar since its inception in the 1950s.
First held in 1957 with just three sides, it has evolved to become the major footballing tournament in Africa, and is now held every two years in various countries across the continent.
Ivory Coast are the current holders, having beaten Nigeria in the final of the 2023 competition thanks to a late winner from Sebastien Haller.
In doing so, the Elephants became just the third side in the competition’s history to lift the trophy on home soil, after a run in the competition that had also seen them thrashed 4-0 in the group stages and sack head coach Jean-Louis Gasset.
But despite their success, they remain a fair way down the list when it comes to the most successful teams in the tournament. With the qualifiers finalised for the upcoming edition in December 2025, we’ve taken a look at just who those are.
Rank
Nation
Times won
Last win
Egypt
7
2010
Cameroon
5
2017
Ghana
4
1982
Ivory Coast
3
2023
Nigeria
3
2013
Algeria
2
2019
DR Congo
2
1974
Senegal
1
2021
Zambia
1
2012
Tunisia
1
2004
South Africa
1
1996
Morocco
1
1976
Congo
1
1972
Sudan
1
1970
Ethiopia
1
1962
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ByJamie Rooke Feb 12, 2024 8 8 teams (1 title each) Senegal are the most recent first-time winners (2021)
With the final tournament having been contested by just 16 sides until 2019, it is a truly impressive feat that eight different nations have managed to get their hands on the trophy once.
However, all of Senegal (2021), Zambia (2012), Tunisia (2004), South Africa (1996), Morocco (1976), Congo (1972), Sudan (1970) and Ethiopia (1962) are able to say that is precisely what they have done.
Of those, Morocco’s sole win – from topping a round-robin in 1976 – is perhaps the most surprising given their recent footballing heritage, while Senegal have made the most of a golden generation of talent with the likes of Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly and Sadio Mané all part of the squad that lifted the trophy in early 2022.
However, all eight continue to look for that elusive second AFCON title, with none of those sides making it past the last 16 of the competition in its most recent iteration – but six now qualified for the 2025 tournament.
Year
Winner
Opposition
Result
Goalscorers
Ethiopia
Egypt
4-2 (aet)
Kidane, Luciano Vassallo, Italo Vassallo, Worku / Badawi (2)
Sudan
Ghana
1-0
Hasabu El-Sagheer
Congo
Mali
3-2
M’Bono (2), M’Pele / Diakhite, Moussa Traore
Morocco
n/a
1st
n/a
South Africa
Tunisia
2-0
Williams (2)
Tunisia
Morocco
2-1
Santos, Jaziri / Mokhtari
Zambia
Ivory Coast
0-0 (aet)
None
Senegal
Egypt
0-0 (aet)
None
7 DR Congo 2 titles (1968, 1974)
A relatively surprising entry on the list is DR Congo, who have won the Africa Cup of Nations on two occasions.
Les Léopards lifted the trophy in 1968, beating Ghana 1-0 in the final of the eight-team tournament as Pierre Kalala wrote his name into the history books with the only goal.
They were knocked out in the semi-finals of the 1972 edition, but clinched their second title two years later while known as Zaire, beating Zambia. The final ended in a 2-2 draw after extra time, which prompted a replay that they won 2-0. Across both games, Pierre Ndaye Mulamba scored all four of his country’s goals, finishing as the top scorer in the competition with nine goals.
DR Congo have not tasted success since, and finished fourth in the most recent Africa Cup of Nations by knocking out Egypt before narrowly falling at the semi-final hurdle to eventual winners Ivory Coast thanks to a goal from Sebastien Haller.
Now qualified for the 2025 tournament, they will be hoping to add a third title to their trophy cabinet.
Year
Opposition
Result
Goalscorers
Ghana
1-0
Kalala
Zambia
2-2 (aet)
Mulamba (2) / Kaushi, Sinyangwe
Zambia (replay)
2-0
Mulamba (2)
6 Algeria 2 titles (1990,2019)
Algeria are regulars at the Africa Cup of Nations, but have only made the final on three occasions. They struggled to qualify for much of their early history, before finishing runners-up in 1980, losing to Nigeria in the final.
It took another decade for them to return to a final, but they were more successful at the second time of asking. Qualifying automatically as hosts, Les Fennecs didn’t lose a game on their way to the final, before getting revenge on Nigeria with a 1-0 win in the final to lift the trophy on home soil for the first time.
For the next 27 years, they made it past the last 16 on just one occasion, but Algeria produced another astonishing unbeaten run in 2019 with a final win over Senegal to win their second and most recent AFCON as Baghdad Bounedjah scored the only goal of the game.
They will be hoping they don’t have to wait as long again for their third success, with their ticket to the 2025 tournament secured.
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ByRoss Kilvington Oct 30, 2024 5 Nigeria 3 titles (1980, 1994, 2013)
No other team has been around the final four of the competition as regularly as Nigeria, with the Super Eagles the unfortunate side to have lost in the final most often.
They have finished third on eight occasions, most recently in 2019, and their second-placed finish in 2023 was their fifth in the history of the competition.
However, they have also managed to hold their nerve in the final on three occasions. Beating Algeria in 1980, they then endured a series of near-misses for 14 years until they again lifted the trophy, this time with a 2-1 win over Zambia in the 1994 final.
Their most recent success came in 2013, as they met Burkina Faso in the final, having drawn against each other in the group stages.
This time, the Super Eagles made no mistake, edging past their opponents 1-0 to claim their third AFCON success, though they failed to qualify for the competition to defend it in 2015.
A powerhouse in African football and heading to Morocco for 2025, history suggests that they will be there or thereabouts once more.
4 Ivory Coast 3 titles (1992, 2015, 2023)
Given the legendary players at their disposal, it is perhaps a shock to see Ivory Coast so low on this list.
The likes of Didier Drogba, Yaya and Kolo Toure, Solomon Kalou and Gervinho all boast Premier League experience, and they helped Ivory Coast lift the trophy in 2015 as they beat Ghana in a tense penalty shootout.
But that was just their second competition win; their first came back in 1992 on their ninth attempt, with the previous eight having seen them finish no higher than third.
Their most recent success leaves them as the team to beat in the 2025 competition, and with a host of household names still littering their squad, the Elephants will be a force to be reckoned with.
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ByBrogan Clasper Jun 11, 2024 3 Ghana 4 titles (1963, 1965, 1978, 1982)
Ghana are next on the list, with their successes coming in short, sharp bursts. The Black Stars won the first two competitions they qualified for in 1963 and 1965 (when only three games were needed to establish a winner), while they were runners-up in the following two tournaments.
In a bizarre turn, they did not qualify for the next three editions, before returning with a bang in 1978 with another title and following that up with their fourth in 1982, beating Libya on penalties.
Since then, they have only flirted with success, finishing as runners-up on three occasions, including most recently in 2015 when they lost to the Ivory Coast on penalties.
In a shock turn of events, they failed to qualify for the 2025 competition, missing out on the final tournament for the first time since 2004.
2 Cameroon 5 titles (1984, 1988, 2000, 2002, 2017)
You cannot discuss Africa Cup of Nations successes without mentioning Cameroon. The Indomitable Lions have lifted the trophy on five occasions and, in Samuel Eto’o, boast the competition’s all-time top goalscorer, with the former Barcelona man having found the net 18 times.
His goals helped Cameroon to their tournament wins in 2000 and 2002, scoring five across the two competitions.
Those successes came 12 years after Cameroon had last lifted the trophy, with the African giants reaching the final in three successive tournaments between 1984 and 1988.
It has been a fallow period by their own standards since, with Eto’o’s nation only lifting the trophy once in two decades, with their most recent success coming in 2017 as they beat Egypt to secure their fifth AFCON title.
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ByStephan Georgiou Jul 16, 2024 1 Egypt 7 titles (1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010)
Undisputedly the most successful side in the history of the tournament, Egypt admittedly had an early advantage.
The Pharaohs won each of the first two tournaments, which consisted of just three teams. This was followed by a run of six consecutive semi-final exits for tournaments they had qualified for.
It meant that their next success didn’t come until 1986, beating Cameroon on penalties, and it took another 12 years to follow that up with a fourth competition win, this time a more comfortable 2-0 victory over South Africa.
It was in the early 2000s that Egypt truly emerged as the powerhouse of African football, though, winning three successive tournaments between 2006 and 2010 – becoming the only side in the history of the competition to have managed such a reign of success and doing so without conceding a goal in any of the three finals.
14 years have now passed since their last success, but with Mohamed Salah ready to lead the line once more into the 2025 edition, they remain a side more than capable of lifting a ninth title at the next tournament.