24 teams eye the Africa Cup of Nations honour
Taifa Stars skipper Mbwana Samatta (second left) fights for the ball against Uganda Cranes players during the Africa Cup of Nations Group L match at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Sunday. Stars won 3-0. PHOTO | MICHAEL MATEMANGA
What you need to know:
Initially, 16 teams participated in Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals, but this year, a total of 24 teams are set to compete for Africa’s greatest prize in Egypt
Dar es Salaam. The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals kick off on June 7 in Egypt.
The Citizen takes a look at various countries that have qualified for the finals and their records.
Tanzania
Africa/world rankings: 37/137
Previous appearances: 1
Best placing: first round (1980)
Algeria
Africa/world rankings: 13/69
Previous appearances: 17
Best placing: champions (1990)
Angola
Africa/world rankings: 33/125
Previous appearances: 7
Best placing: quarter-finals (2008, 2010)
Burundi
Africa/world rankings: 38/139
Previous appearances: none
Benin
Africa/world rankings: 20/94
Previous appearances: 3
Best placing: first round
Cameroon
Africa/world rankings: 7/56
Previous appearances: 18
Best placing: champions (1984, 1988, 2000, 2002, 2017)
DR Congo
Africa/world rankings: 5/51
Previous appearances: 18
Best placing: champions (1968, 1974)
Egypt
Africa/world rankings: 8/57
Previous appearances: 23
Best placing: champions (1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010)
Ghana
Africa/world rankings: 6/53
Previous appearances: 21
Best placing: champions (1963, 1965, 1978, 1982)
Guinea
Africa/world rankings: 12/68
Previous appearances: 11
Best placing: runners-up (1976)
Guinea-Bissau
Africa/world rankings: 31/118
Previous appearances: 1
Best placing: first round
Cote d’Ivoire
Coach: Ibrahim Kamara (CIV)
Africa/world rankings: 11/66
Previous appearances: 22
Best placing: champions (1992, 2015)
Kenya
Africa/world rankings: 23/106
Previous appearances: 5
Best placing: first round
Madagascar
Coach: Nicolas Dupuis (FRA)
Africa/world rankings: 24/107
Previous appearances: none
Mali
Africa/world rankings: 10/65
Previous appearances: 10
Best placing: runners-up (1972)
Mauritania
Africa/world rankings: 18/84
Previous appearances: none
Morocco
Africa/world rankings: 3/43
Previous appearances: 16
Best placing: champions (1976)
Namibia
Africa/world rankings: 26/110
Previous appearances: 2
Best placing: first round
Nigeria
Africa/world rankings: 4/46
Previous appearances: 17
Best placing: champions (1980, 1994, 2013)
Senegal
Africa/world rankings: 1/24
Previous appearances: 14
Best placing: runners-up (2002)
South Africa
Africa/world rankings: 14/74
Previous appearances: 9
Best placing: champions (1996)
Tunisia
Africa/world rankings: 2/28
Previous appearances: 18
Best placing: champions (2004)
Uganda
Africa/world rankings: 16/77
Previous appearances: 6
Best placing: runners-up (1978)
Zimbabwe
Africa/world rankings: 28/113
Previous appearances: 3
Best placing: first round
