| African Cup Of Nations |
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The African Cup of Nations, also referred to as the '''African Nations Cup''' (ANC) is the main international Football competition in Africa . It is sanctioned by the Confederation Of African Football (CAF), and was first held in 1957. Since 1968, it has been held every two years in even numbered years. In 1957 there were only three participating nations: Egypt , Sudan and Ethiopia . South Africa was to compete, but was disqualified due to the Apartheid policies of the government then in power. Since then, the field has grown to include almost every African nation, making it necessary to hold a qualifying tournament. The number of participants in the final tournament reached 16 in 1998 (16 teams were to compete in 1996 but Nigeria withdrew, reducing the field to 15), and since then, the format has been unchanged, with the sixteen teams being drawn into four groups of four teams each, with the top two teams of each group advancing to a "knock-out" stage. The nation with the most cup wins is Egypt, with five, followed by Ghana and Cameroon , who have won four titles each. Three different trophies have been awarded during the tournament's history, with Ghana and Cameroon winning the first two versions to keep after each of them won a tournament three times. The current trophy was first awarded in 2002. HISTORY 1950s-60s: Early growth of the ANC competition The origins of the African Nations Cup date back to June 1956, when the creation of the Confederation of African Football was proposed during the third FIFA congress in Lisbon . There were immediate plans for a continental nations tournament to be held, and in February 1957, the First African Cup Of Nations took place in Khartoum , Sudan . There was no qualification for the this tournament, the field being made up of the four founding nations of CAF (Sudan, Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Africa). South Africa's refusal to send a Multi-racial squad to the competition led to its disqualification and handed Ethiopia a bye straight to the final. |
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