Below, you will find a list of the key records from the history of AFCON, including the most successful teams and players who have left an indelible mark on the competition through feats of scoring and longevity over the years.
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Most successful nations in AFCON history
1. Egypt - 7 (Most titles)
The Pharaohs won an unprecedented three consecutive titles in the 2000s (2006, 2008, 2010), and hold the record for most appearances in the tournament (28) for a nation, the most wins (62), and the most goals scored (168). Simply, the best!
2. Cameroon - 5
The Indomitable Lions were dominant in the 1980s as well as the early 2000s, with back-to-back wins in 2000 and 2002.
3. Ghana - 4
The Black Stars were early AFCON pioneers, winning titles in the 1960s and '70s. Along with Egypt, Ghana hold the record for the most final appearances (9).
4. Nigeria and Ivory Coast - 3
All-time leading AFCON goalscorers
1. Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon) 18 goals
Once one of the most feared and respected strikers in the entire world, Eto'o is the all-time leading AFCON scorer.
2. Laurent Pokou (Ivory Coast) 14 goals
Pokou was a star for Ivory Coast during the 1970s and held the record for most goals at AFCON for decades. He is famous for scoring five goals in a single match (against Ethiopia in 1970), which is a record for a single game.
3. Rashidi Yekini (Nigeria) 13 goals
Known by his teammates and fans as 'The Goals Father', Yekini was a key figure in Nigeria's golden era spanning the 1980s and '90s.
4. Hassan El-Shazly (Egypt) 12 goals
El-Shazly holds the record for the most goals in a single tournament by an Egyptian (six in 1963) and is the only player with multiple hat-tricks in AFCON history (two) - he scored hat-tricks in 1963 and 1970.
5. Patrick Mboma (Cameroon), Hossam Hassan (Egypt), and Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast) 11 goals
Player appearance records
Most tournament appearances (8): Rigobert Song (Cameroon), Ahmed Hassan (Egypt), Andre Ayew (Ghana), Youssef Msakni (Tunisia)
Most matches played (36): Andre Ayew (Ghana) and Rigobert Song (Cameroon)
More player records
Oldest player: Essam El-Hadary (Egypt) at 44 years and 21 days (in the 2017 final)
Youngest player: Chiva Star Nzighou (Gabon) at 16 years, two months, and 30 days in AFCON 2000. Nzighou also holds the record for the youngest goalscorer in the tournament's history, scoring against South Africa on January 23rd, 2000, at the age of 16 years and 93 days.
Fastest goal: Ayman Mansour (Egypt) after just 23 seconds against Mozambique in 1994
Most goals in a single tournament: Mulumba N'Daye's (Zaire, now DR Congo) nine goals in 1974, followed by eight scored by Laurent Pokou (Ivory Coast) in 1970 and Vincent Aboubakar (Cameroon) in 2021
Coaching milestones
Most titles won by a coach (3): Shared by Hassan Shehata (all with Egypt - consecutive: 2006, 2008, 2010) and Charles Gyamfi (all with Ghana - 1963, 1965, 1982)
Winning titles with two different teams: Frenchman Herve Renard is the only coach to have won the tournament with two different nations (Zambia in 2012 and the Ivory Coast in 2015)
AFCON winners as player and coach: Mahmoud El-Gohary (Egypt) and Stephen Keshi (Nigeria)
More remarkable records
Longest unbeaten run: Egypt's 25 consecutive matches without a defeat between 2004 and 2017
Longest penalty shootout: Ivory Coast vs Cameroon (2006), ending 12-11
Most consecutive tournament appearances for a nation: Tunisia 17 (1994–2025)