The 2010 Africa Cup of Nations was a major football tournament, marking the 27th edition of this biennial event organized by the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF). The games took place in Angola from January 10 to January 31, 2010. This tournament brought together 15 top teams from the continent to compete for the title of the best in Africa.
Map of African countries that played in the tournament
Tournament Overview
The 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the Orange Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 27th Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial football championship of Africa (CAF). On 4 September 2006, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) approved a compromise between rival countries to host the Africa Cup of Nations after it ruled out Nigeria. CAF agreed to award the next three editions from 2010 to Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Libya respectively.
The Confederation of African Football announced that the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification would also be the qualification for this tournament. Despite the fact Angola were the host of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, they also needed to participate in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification.
Qualification and Draw
In the tournament, the hosts Angola were to be joined by 15 nations who advanced from the qualification process that began in October 2007 and involved 53 African national teams. The draw for the final tournament took place on 20 November 2009 at the Talatona Convention Centre in Luanda, Angola. The 16 teams were split into four pots, with Pot 1 containing the top four seeded nations. Angola were seeded as hosts and Egypt as reigning holders. The remaining 14 teams were ranked based on their records in the three last editions of the competition. Cameroon and Ivory Coast had the two strongest records and so completed the top seeded Pot 1.
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The withdrawal of Togo two days before the tournament began, after a terrorist attack on their bus upon arriving in Angola, reduced the number of participating nations to 15. A total of 29 games were played, instead of the scheduled 32 because of the reduced teams.
Tournament Structure
The tournament had two main parts: the group stage and the knockout stage.
Group Stage
In the group stage, teams were put into different groups. Each team played against the other teams in their group. After all the games in a group, the top two teams moved forward.
Knockout Stage
After the group stage, the tournament became a knockout competition. This means if a team lost a match, they were out. The games included quarter-finals, semi-finals, and the final.
Egypt • Road to victory Africa cup of nations 2010
The Final Match
The final match was played on January 31, 2010. It was between Ghana and Egypt. Egypt won the game with a score of 1-0. This made Egypt the champions of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.
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Nigeria played against Algeria for third place.
Key Details and Facts
- Host Country: Angola
- Dates: January 10 - January 31, 2010
- Number of Teams: 15
- Winner: Egypt
Other Facts
The Mascot for the Tournament is Palanquinha, which was inspired by the Giant Sable Antelope (Hippotragus niger variani), a national symbol and a treasured animal in Angola.
On 8 January 2010, the team bus of the Togo national football team was attacked by gunmen in Cabinda, Angola as it travelled to the tournament. A spokesman for the Togolese football federation said assistant coach Améleté Abalo and press officer Stanislaud Ocloo had died as well as the driver. The separatist group Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda-Military Position claimed responsibility for the attack. The Togolese team withdrew from the competition the following day.
Historical Context
Africa Cup of Nations is a international soccer competition held every two years under the authority of the Confédération Africaine de Football (Confederation of African Football, or CAF). CAF is the African continental soccer confederation of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (International Federation of Association Football, FIFA).
The Africa Cup of Nations, abbreviated as CAN or AFCON, is considered the continent’s most prestigious soccer competition. Since its debut in 1957, the Africa Cup of Nations has grown from a small regional tournament with three participating teams to a major international competition with a field of twenty-four. Like the FIFA World Cup and other FIFA-sanctioned continental tournaments, the Africa Cup of Nations includes a round-robin group stage and a single-elimination knockout stage.
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As of 2021, Egypt is the most successful country in the history of the tournament with a total of seven championships.
Egypt national football team logo
The competition has served as a showcase for the talents of African players. In the 1950s and ’60s the tournament’s attacking, entertaining style of play seized the imagination of African fans and attracted European talent scouts, agents, and journalists.
Africa Cup of Nations Winners
The following table lists the Africa Cup of Nations winners:
| Year | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 1968-2012* | Various | Various |
| From 2013* | Various | Various |
| 2022** | Various | Various |
*Finals held in even-numbered years 1968-2012; held in odd-numbered years from 2013.
**Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 tournament was held in 2022.
