1996 African Cup of Nations

1996 edition of the African Cup of Nations association football competition

Key facts

Host country: South Africa
Dates: 13 January – 3 February
Venue: 4 (in 4 host cities)
Champions: South Africa (1st title)
Runners up: Tunisia
Third place: Zambia
Fourth place: Ghana
Goals scored: 78 (2.69 per match)
Attendance: 640,880 (22,099 per match)
Top scorer s: Kalusha Bwalya , (5 goals)
Best player: Kalusha Bwalya

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Article

The 1996 African Cup of Nations, also known as the Coca-Cola 1996 Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 20th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the football championship of Africa (CAF). It was hosted by South Africa, who replaced original hosts Kenya. The field expanded for the first time to 16 teams, split into four groups of four; the top two teams in each group advancing to the quarterfinals. However, Nigeria withdrew from the tournament at the final moment under pressure from then-dictator Sani Abacha, reducing the field to 15. South Africa won its first championship, beating Tunisia in the final 2–0. The tournament was covered in the 2026 documentary series “Class of ‘96: Rise of a Nation”.

Qualified teams