AFCON Hosting Countries History: A Complete Guide
The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is the premier international football tournament in Africa, held every two years. The tournament has a rich history, with the first edition taking place in 1957 in Sudan. Since then, the tournament has been hosted by various African countries, with each host nation leaving its mark on the competition.
Early Years (1957-1970)
- 1957: Sudan
– The first edition of the AFCON was hosted by Sudan, with Egypt emerging as the champion.
1959: Egypt
– Egypt hosted the second edition of the tournament, with Egypt winning their first title.- 1963: Ghana – Ghana hosted the third edition, with Ghana winning their first title.
- 1965: Tunisia – Tunisia hosted the fourth edition, with Ghana winning their second title.
- 1968: Ethiopia – Ethiopia hosted the fifth edition, with Ghana winning their third title.
- 1970: Sudan – Sudan hosted the sixth edition, with Sudan winning their first title.
Expansion and Growth (1976-1996)
- 1976: Ethiopia – Ethiopia hosted the eighth edition, with Morocco winning their first title.
- 1978: Ghana – Ghana hosted the ninth edition, with Ghana winning their fourth title.
- 1980: Nigeria – Nigeria hosted the tenth edition, with Nigeria winning their first title.
- 1982: Libya – Libya hosted the eleventh edition, with Ghana winning their fifth title.
- 1984: Ivory Coast – Ivory Coast hosted the twelfth edition, with Cameroon winning their first title.
- 1986: Egypt – Egypt hosted the thirteenth edition, with Egypt winning their seventh title.
- 1988: Morocco – Morocco hosted the fourteenth edition, with Cameroon winning their second title.
- 1990: Algeria – Algeria hosted the fifteenth edition, with Algeria winning their first title.
- 1992: Senegal – Senegal hosted the sixteenth edition, with Ivory Coast winning their second title.
- 1994: Tunisia – Tunisia hosted the seventeenth edition, with Nigeria winning their second title.
- 1996: South Africa – South Africa hosted the eighteenth edition, with South Africa winning their first title.
Modern Era (2000-Present)
- 2000: Ghana and Nigeria – Ghana and Nigeria co-hosted the nineteenth edition, with Cameroon winning their third title.
- 2002: Mali – Mali hosted the twentieth edition, with Cameroon winning their fourth title.
- 2004: Tunisia – Tunisia hosted the twenty-first edition, with Tunisia winning their first title.
- 2006: Egypt – Egypt hosted the twenty-second edition, with Egypt winning their eighth title.
- 2008: Ghana – Ghana hosted the twenty-third edition, with Egypt winning their ninth title.
- 2010: Angola – Angola hosted the twenty-fourth edition, with Egypt winning their tenth title.
- 2012: Gabon and Equatorial Guinea – Gabon and Equatorial Guinea co-hosted the twenty-fifth edition, with Zambia winning their first title.
- 2013: South Africa – South Africa hosted the twenty-sixth edition, with Nigeria winning their third title.
- 2015: Equatorial Guinea – Equatorial Guinea hosted the twenty-seventh edition, with Ivory Coast winning their third title.
- 2017: Gabon – Gabon hosted the twenty-eighth edition, with Cameroon winning their fifth title.
- 2019: Egypt – Egypt hosted the twenty-ninth edition, with Algeria winning their second title.
- 2021: Cameroon – Cameroon hosted the thirtieth edition, with Senegal winning their first title.
The AFCON has a rich history, with each host nation leaving its mark on the competition. From the early years in Sudan and Egypt to the modern era in South Africa and Egypt, the tournament has grown in popularity and prestige. The AFCON continues to be a major international football tournament, with each edition bringing together the best teams and players from across Africa.
