Five memorable Africa Cup of Nations finals

Five memorable Africa Cup of Nations finals

The Africa Cup of Nations has featured 32 finals so far, and AFP Sport has chosen five of the most unforgettable ones before the 2025 showdown between hosts Morocco and Senegal in Rabat on Sunday.

Ethiopia 4 Egypt 2

This final produced the highest number of goals, full of thrills as the 1962 hosts Ethiopia came back from two deficits against the title holders Egypt, before adding two more in extra time to claim their sole AFCON victory. Mengistu Worku shone brightly in the game, attended by 30,000 fans packed into the Addis Ababa stadium. He grabbed the second leveller with six minutes left in normal time and sealed the fourth goal with two minutes remaining in extra time.

Congo 3 Mali 2

Congo Brazzaville netted three goals within seven minutes around the hour mark to swing the 1972 decider their way in Yaounde. Mali held a 1-0 lead at the break in a clash of debut finalists, until Jean-Michel M'Bono scored twice for Congo in quick succession. Francois M'Pele then extended the advantage, earning him the best player accolade at the inaugural central African AFCON.     

Nigeria 2 Zambia 1

Zambia overcame huge challenges to make the 1994 final in Tunis, under a year after losing 18 national team members in a plane crash off Gabon while heading to Senegal for a World Cup qualifier. Zambian Elijah Litana opened the scoring after just three minutes before a 25,000-strong crowd. Emmanuel Amunike equalised two minutes later and struck again soon into the second half, securing the Super Eagles their second AFCON crown.  

South Africa 2 Tunisia 0

Host nation South Africa triumphed in the 1996 final before a full house of 80,000 in Johannesburg, only four years after rejoining global football post the apartheid ban. President Nelson Mandela and former white leader FW de Klerk watched as replacement forward Mark Williams netted both goals. He ended the deadlock eight minutes after entering the pitch and added another almost right away.    

Zambia 0 Ivory Coast 0

Underdogs Zambia stunned everyone by winning the 2012 final against Ivory Coast, led by Didier Drogba, via an 8-7 penalty shoot-out following a goalless draw. Drogba missed a penalty in regular time by firing over, while Kolo Toure and Gervinho failed in the shoot-out, before defender Stoppila Sunzu slotted home the decisive kick. The Libreville success held special meaning for Zambia, as the 1993 crash happened close to the final's location.