How Does AFCON Work? Full Guide And Breakdown For Africa's Premier Contest

How Does AFCON Work? Full Guide And Breakdown For Africa's Premier Contest

With AFCON or it's long name, Africa Cup of Nations being just round the corner, here at FootballPark we thought we’d take you through what it is and how it works plus some fun facts and other information on the side.

AFCON runs during the winter months back here in the UK. This is due to the climate as if the tournament was played during the summer time it becomes incredibly hot and a health risk for the players/coaches, as well as it being hot certain parts of Africa experience their rainy season during the summer months which would completely rule out a tournament being hosted in that country.

So due to the games being played in the winter or during the regular football season a lot of clubs and fans can become slightly frustrated due to some players heading off to international duty mid-season. For example this season Sunderland are going to lose SEVEN players thanks to AFCON which has got to be a record.

So What Actually Is AFCON?

AFCON is a tournament played amongst, you guessed it, African countries. This year the tournament starts on the 21st of December with the final being played on the 18th of January. It is the biggest tournament in the continent and can turn a player/team into a national hero/heroes. It was first held back in 1957 with Egypt being crowned champions after defeating Ethiopia 4-0 in the final.

The tournament happens every two years, so not the usual every four years like the Euros or the World Cup. It happens every two years due to the tournament having such a positive effect, it brings more competition to African players which helps development and it also is great for money as it brings much needed money into countries who could potentially struggle otherwise.

24 of the best teams in Africa qualify from the qualification stages to the final tournament. From the 24 teams they are each split into six groups of four and in usual fashion the top two will progress through automatically to the knockout stages however the four best 3rd place finishers in each group also progress through, it’ll then lead on to the round of 16, quarter final, semi final and then the final where the champion of Africa is crowned.

About This Tournament

This year AFCON is being hosted by Morocco and will be the 35th rendition of the tournament. Morocco themselves have won the tournament once back in 1976. It is also the second time Morocco have hosted the tournament the first time being back in 1988. A total of nine stadiums are being used with the largest capacity being the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat which holds up to 69,500 fans and is going to be hosting the final.

🏆 A piece of home, right here in London.

Witnessing the first-ever AFCON Trophy Tour was more than just an event; it was a moment of immense pride for the African diaspora #AFCONdiasporatour pic.twitter.com/L9Wqcidkcv

— CAF_Online (@CAF_Online) November 28, 2025

If I were to highlight one group as “the group of death” and the one to be the most entertaining it’d be Group F. It houses two African powerhouses in Cameroon and Ivory Coast as well as Gabon and Mozambique helping complete the group.

Who Are The Current Holders Of The African Cup Of Nations?

The current holders are the Ivory Coast who beat Nigeria 2-1 after trailing in the first half through William Troost-Ekong. Goals from Franck Kessie and an 81st minute winner from Sebastian Haller led to Ivory Coasts third AFCON title.

𝐈𝐕𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐂𝐎𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 𝐀𝐅𝐂𝐎𝐍 𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐒 pic.twitter.com/Os7V3o9yQl

— 433 (@433) February 11, 2024

What made this Ivory Coast win so special is for three reasons:

One, they were the host nation and winning as the host is an incredible feeling and something that is hard to top in an international tournament.

Second, they became the first ever team to finish third in their group and only go through to the knockout stage as one of the four best third place finishers and then go on to win the entire thing.

And finally third and probably the most mental one of the lot, after finishing third in their group it was seen as a massive disappointment as going into the tournament they were one of the favourites, they actually sacked their manager mid tournament but in the end that was one of the best decisions they could of made as Emerse Fae who took over as interim manager eventually steered them to glory, he remains their manager to this day.

Ivory Coast will be looking to become the third team ever to successfully defend their title, only Cameroon and Egypt have done so in the past, Egypt however went one step further and managed to go back to back to back from 2006 to 2010.

Fun Facts About AFCON

• Egypt have won the most times, winning it seven times
• The first ever AFCON tournament was held with only three teams. Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia
• In 1993 a plane crash killed most of the Zambian squad and just one year later they made the finals but unfortunately lost to Nigeria. However in 2012 they were crowned champions of Africa as they defeated the Ivory Coast on penalties, they won the tournament in Gabon which is where the plane crashed all those years ago, it makes for a truly heart breaking and heartwarming story all at the same time.
• In 1972 Zaire progressed to the semi finals with a coin toss as penalty shootouts hadn’t been introduced then
• Samuel Eto’o is the leading scorer in AFCON history with 18 goals

How To Watch AFCON From The UK

For fans wanting to watch the tournament not to worry, there are plenty of places to do so. AFCON will be available on Sky Sports Football or Sky Sports Mix as well as NOW TV.