The African Cup of Nations tournament is the continent’s biggest football tournament, where many footballers have delivered title-winning performances since its inception in 1957.
Although multiple players have featured in the competition, only a few have managed to appear in multiple editions. These legendary players have written their names in the history books with their longevity and consistency.
With just a few days until the 2025 edition kicks off in Morocco, we take a look at the five African footballers with the most AFCON appearances.
Rigobert Song (36 appearances)
Cameroon icon Rigobert Song has the joint-most appearances in the history of the African Cup of Nations, but his tally of 3,171 minutes of action is the most of any player. The former captain of the Indomitable Lions played at a joint-record eight tournaments and holds the record for the most consecutive matches played (35).
Rigobert Song made his debut in the 1996 edition held in South Africa, but it was until 2000 when he won his first trophy, before adding a second in 2002.
He also finished in second position at the 2008 edition as Cameroon suffered a 1-0 defeat to Egypt in the final.
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Andre Ayew (36 appearances)
Ghana captain Andre Ayew has also played in 36 matches at the African Cup of Nations, but is second with his total minutes tally of 2,667.
The 35-year-old made his debut for the Black Stars in 2007 and appeared at his first AFCON tournament in 2008.
Despite playing in eight tournaments, the former Swansea City forward has never lifted the trophy, finishing instead with silver medals in 2010 and 2015 and another bronze medal in 2008.
Ahmed Hassan (32 appearances)
Egyptian legend Ahmed Hassan ranks third on this list with 32 appearances at the African Cup of Nations during his playing days.
The African icon also holds the joint-record for the player with the most titles in the competition history, alongside Essam El Hadary with four.
He played his first tournament at the 1996 African Cup of Nations and went on to play in eight tournaments until his retirement.
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Njitap Geremi (31 appearances)
Former Cameroon defender Njitap Geremi was part of the country’s squad for seven African Cup of Nations tournaments.
The legendary figure played 31 matches at the tournament, accumulating 2,654 minutes of action.
Geremi ended his career with two winners’ medals in 2000 and 2002, while he also sealed another silver medal in 2008.
Seydou Keita (31 appearances)
Former Mali captain Seydou Keita rounds off this list, having made 31 appearances for the Eagles at the African Cup of Nations.
He represented his country at seven editions of the tournaments, accumulating 2,616 minutes of action.
Keita won bronze medals twice in 2012 and 2013 and was also included in the team of the tournament on four occasions.
