Africa Cup of Nations Fixtures, Results & Statistics

Africa Cup of Nations is Africa’s premier men’s international football cup competition, bringing together national teams from across the continent to contest the continental championship. The tournament is officially branded the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations and is organised by the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF), the governing body for African football. It is also widely known as the African Cup of Nations.

A continental championship with a long history

Founded in 1957, the competition was created to provide a dedicated international stage for African nations and to strengthen continental unity through football. The inaugural finals were held in Sudan with three participating teams: Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia. From that modest beginning, the tournament has expanded alongside the development of football infrastructure, national teams and professional leagues across Africa.

The Africa Cup of Nations is now a major event on the international football calendar. It showcases players competing for leading clubs around the world while giving national teams the opportunity to establish themselves among the continent’s strongest sides. Winning the tournament brings the status of Champion of Africa and remains one of the highest honours available to an African men’s national team.

Governance and access to the finals

CAF governs the competition, defines its regulations and oversees both qualification and the final tournament. The eligible pool consists of the 54 CAF member associations. Teams normally reach the finals through a staged qualification process, with preliminary rounds providing an entry route for lower-ranked nations before the main qualifying groups are played. The host nation or nations qualify automatically for the finals, while the remaining places are awarded through qualification.

Players must be eligible to represent their national team under FIFA’s international eligibility rules. This national-team structure distinguishes the competition from club football: the participants are representative sides selected on nationality, rather than domestic or international club teams.

How the final tournament works

The established 24-team finals format begins with six groups of four. Each team plays every other team in its group once, creating a single round-robin stage. A win is worth three points, a draw one point and a defeat zero points.

The top two teams in each group progress to the knockout phase, joined by the four best third-placed teams. This produces a Round of 16 before the competition moves through the quarter-finals, semi-finals, third-place play-off and final. The knockout bracket is single elimination: one decisive result is required for a team to continue.

Group-stage draws use seeding to distribute teams between pots, with FIFA World Ranking position and previous Africa Cup of Nations performance forming part of the draw logic. The aim is to create balanced groups while preserving a clear competitive pathway from qualification to the final.

Points, tie-breakers and match decisions

When teams finish level on points in a group, the ranking procedure first examines their head-to-head record. The stated order is head-to-head points, head-to-head goal difference and goals scored in the relevant head-to-head matches, followed by overall goal difference. These rules make matches between the teams concerned particularly important and can affect which side qualifies directly, which enters as a best third-placed team and which is eliminated.

In the knockout rounds, a match level after 90 minutes proceeds to two 15-minute periods of extra time. If the scores remain level, a penalty shootout determines the winner. Teams can make five substitutions during a match, with a sixth permitted when the game goes to extra time.

Calendar and changing format

The tournament has traditionally been staged every two years, although its timing has varied. Finals have commonly taken place in January or February, while some editions have used a June or July window. Host-country weather, domestic league schedules and the international football calendar all influence the final dates. The finals tournament generally lasts about four weeks, while qualification is spread across several international windows in the preceding year or years.

A confirmed reform is due to move the competition to a four-year cycle from 2028. Until that change takes effect, the biennial tradition remains an important part of the tournament’s identity. The shift is intended to reshape the international calendar while preserving the competition’s role as Africa’s principal national-team championship.

The prize and sporting significance

The winners lift the Africa Cup of Nations trophy and are recognised as continental champions. Beyond the title itself, success can shape a country’s sporting identity, elevate the reputations of players and coaches, and provide a powerful platform for African football talent. Hosting the finals can also support investment in stadiums, transport and other sporting infrastructure.

From its three-team beginning in 1957 to its modern 24-team finals, the competition reflects the growth and increasing depth of African football. Its combination of national pride, demanding qualification, group-stage strategy and high-pressure knockout matches explains why the Africa Cup of Nations remains one of the most significant tournaments in world football.