The CAF is one of the biggest governing bodies in world football. It was formed on February 8, 1957 with the first African Cup of Nations tournament held just three days afterwards.
Here are ten prestigious records for the event:
Most Tournament Wins
Egypt hold the record for the most tournament wins with seven. Their most recent triumph came in 2010 and they won the two tournaments before that victory in 2006 and 2008. The remaining Egypt’s wins have come in the following years; 1957, 1959, 1986 and 1998.
Most Tournament Appearances
Egypt also hold the record for the most tournament appearances in this event with 22 in total.
That is three more appearances that the Ivory Coast who are second on the list with 20 appearances. Egypt is one of the biggest and most diverse nations in Africa; their success proves that they are one of the stronger countries at the event.
Most Goals in a Single Tournament
You have to go back to the 1974 tournament to find the player with the best scoring record in a single tournament. This accolade is currently held by Ndaye Mulamba of Zaire who bagged a staggering nine goals in one tournament.
The closest to him is Laurent Pokou who scored eight goals at the 1970 tournament.
All-Time Top Scorer
Samuel Eto’o has scored more goals in the history of the tournament than any other player. He has bagged 18 in total for his beloved Cameroon.
Laurent Pokou second on the list with 14 goals for the Ivory Coast and Rashidi Yekini third on the list with 13 goals for Nigeria.
Longest Penalty Shoot Outs
The Ivory Coast hold the record for wins in the longest penalty shoot outs for this tournament. They defeated Ghana 11-10 over 24 penalties in 1992 final and they defeated Cameroon 12-11 over 24 penalties in the quarter-finals of the 2006 tournament.
Winning Hosts
In total the African Cup of Nations has been won 11 times by the host of the tournament. Egypt has won the tournament more times as the host than any other nation with three wins.
Ghana has won the tournament twice as the host nation with Algeria, Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Africa and Tunisia winning the tournament once.
Biggest Ever Win
The biggest ever win at the tournament has been a 6-1 score line. Guinea defeated Botswana in a group qualification match by this score which matched the Ivory Coast’s 6-1 win over Ethiopia in 1968.
The only other team to score six goals in a single game were Egypt with a 6-3 win over Nigeria in 1963.
Most Player Appearances
Rigobert Song of Cameroon has appeared at more tournaments than any other individual. He has appeared in the 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010 tournaments (8). He has played in 35 consecutive matches which is a longer appearance run than any other player.
Most Goals by a Player in a Match
Laurent Pokou 1appears in another record with the most goals by one player in a match. He scored five times for the Ivory Coast in the 6-1 win over Ethiopia in 1968. He finished as the top scorer for the 1968 tournament but didn’t walk away from the event with a winning medal.
Youngest Ever Player
The youngest ever player to appear at the African Cup of Nations is Chiva Star of Gabon. When he came on against South Africa in the 2000 tournament, he became the youngest player to appear at the tournament aged 16-years and 91 days old.
Gabon finished bottom of their group in that tournament and were eliminated at the first stage.
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