Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa & 5 Nations That Hosted and Won AFCON As Ivory Coast Eye 2023 Edition

• Ivory Coast is set to host the rest of the continent in the soon-to-start 2023 AFCON
• The Elephants will be aiming to become the first host nation to win on home soil since 2006
• Sports Brief takes a look at the 8 nations to have won the Africa Cup of Nations title as hosts

The highly anticipated African Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023, organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), is set to commence this Saturday, January 13, in the Ivory Coast.

This prestigious tournament, initially featuring only three teams in its inaugural edition, gathers the continent's top talents, many of whom have demonstrated their skills in stellar club performances.

Five teams from the 2022 FIFA World Cup are set to grace the 34th edition, notably Morocco, the semifinalists, who are entering the AFCON as formidable contenders for the championship, per the Guardian.

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Aside from the Atlas Lions, Mohamed Salah's Egypt, with a record seven titles, and Cameroon, boasting five victories, remain strong forces in the competition.

Meanwhile, the Teranga Lions of Senegal, reigning champions, aim to achieve what only Egypt and seven nations have done before: defend the trophy.

The Pharaohs hold the distinction of being the last nation to defend the title successfully and even went further by achieving a remarkable three-peat between 2006 and 2010, as cited by Nilesports.

As the countdown continues with only four days left until the tournament's commencement, Sports Brief delves into the history of nations that have secured AFCON victory while hosting the event, underscoring Ivory Coast's ambitions to join the ranks of these illustrious champions.

Countries that hosted and won AFCON

While Egypt was the first-ever winner of the premier continental championship, it was Ethiopia that made history as the initial nation to host and claim victory in the competition.

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This triumph came in 1962 when Ethiopia overcame the Pharaohs 4-2 after extra time, marking their sole title win to date. This success set the stage for several subsequent tournament hosts to strive for the elusive feat of winning on home soil.

Ghana's Black Stars followed Ethiopia's lead by securing their inaugural AFCON title in 1963 on their home turf in Accra, thrashing Sudan 3-0, according to Happy Ghana.

Seven years later, Sudan avenged their previous loss to Ghana by clinching the 1970 title with a 1-0 victory in Khartoum, courtesy of Hasabu El-Sagheer's goal.

Ghana established their knack for home victories, becoming the first nation to achieve this twice by defeating Uganda 2-0 in the 1978 final.

Nigeria then continued this trend, claiming their first of three AFCON titles at home in a resounding 3-0 win against Algeria, powered by Segun Odegbami and Muda Lawal's goals.

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Egypt, despite their AFCON history, finally conquered the challenge of winning as hosts in 1986 after triumphing over Cameroon 5-4 in a penalty shootout following a goalless draw.

Algeria then mirrored this success four years later with a single goal from Chérif Oudjani in 1990, securing their first AFCON trophy on home soil.

South Africa's replacement of Kenya as hosts resulted in a victorious 1996 campaign, sealing the championship with a 2-0 win against Tunisia at Johannesburg's FNB Stadium.

It proved to be the end of the host-and-win sequence in the 20th century, as no host nation managed to replicate the feat of winning the tournament on home soil in 1998.

The pattern persisted with Ghana and Nigeria jointly hosting in 2000 but failing to claim the ultimate prize despite previous home victories.

Mali attempted the host-and-win feat, falling short until Tunisia broke the dry spell by hosting and winning the final against Morocco in 2004.

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Egypt's 2006 victory against Ivory Coast marked the last time a host nation claimed the AFCON title on home soil.

Since then, eight nations have hosted the tournament, with Ghana and Cameroon achieving bronze medals on home soil.

The 8 nations to have won AFCON on home soil

The question now looms: Will Ivory Coast break this trend and reignite the host-and-win phenomenon in AFCON history?

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Senegal tipped to defend AFCON title

Sports Brief also reported that the Opta supercomputer has estimated Senegal's chances of retaining the Africa Cup of Nations at 12.8%.

This aligns with the views of pundits and former players who have also touted Aliou Cisse's team as strong contenders for the championship.

It's no surprise that the Teranga Lions are once again seen as top favourites for the coveted trophy.