The Africa Cup of Nations is the continent’s biggest football tournament, bringing together nations and top talents every two years for a chance to lift the prestigious trophy.
Since its inception in 1957 when Egypt claimed the first title with victory over Sudan, several countries have reached the final of the competition and while some have gone on to lift the trophy, others have fallen short at the final hurdle.
The Pharaohs are the most successful nation in the competition’s history with seven titles, but are they also the team with the most final appearances? This article reveals the five African countries with the highest number of Africa Cup of Nations final appearances;
Egypt (10 final appearances)
Egypt is the most successful nation in Africa Cup of Nations history, having won the tournament seven times and holds the record for the most final appearances, reaching the title decider on a record 10 times.
The Pharaohs claimed victory in their first two finals in 1957 and 1959 but suffered their first defeat in 1962, losing to Ethiopia. They have however been defeated in their last two final appearances, losing 2-1 to Cameroon in 2017 and on penalty shootout to Senegal in 2021.
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Ghana (9 final appearances)
Ghana are absent from the 2025 African Cup of Nations following their failure to qualify, but have previously reached the finals of the tournament on nine occasions. However, they have only been victorious in four of these nine title deciders, placing them third on the all-time winners list.
The Black Stars have lost the joint-most finals in the history of the competition (5), including their last three appearances in 1992, 2010 and 2015. They have also not lifted the prestigious African trophy since 1982, when they defeated Libya to win their fourth title.
Nigeria (8 final appearances)
Nigeria have the fourth most African Cup of Nations titles in history with three wins, but have reached the final on eight occasions. The Super Eagles have lost the most finals, alongside Ghana, with their most recent defeat coming against Ivory Coast in the 2023 edition.
The three-time African champions had previously lost the finals in 1984, 1988, 1990 and 2000, while their title triumphs came in 1980, 1994 and 2013.
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Cameroon (7 final appearances)
Despite reaching only seven finals in the history of the African Cup of Nations, Cameroon have remarkably lifted the trophy five times and are two short off tying Egypt’s record of seven.
The Indomitable Lions reached three consecutive finals between 1984 and 1988, winning the competition in 1984 and 1988, while their only other defeat in the final was in 2008, when they were beaten 1-0 by Egypt on their way to a sixth title.
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Ivory Coast (5 final appearances)
Defending champions Ivory Coast secured their third Africa Cup of Nations title on home soil in 2023 following their 2-1 win over Nigeria, marking their fifth appearance in the tournament’s final.
The Elephants made their first final appearance in 1992, defeating Ghana in a penalty shootout. They fell short in their next two finals, losing to Egypt in 2006 and to surprise champions Zambia in 2012, but bounced back to win their last two finals, including the 2015 triumph over Ghana.
