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.
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 tournament has grown, 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) 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.
Egypt is the most successful nation in the cup's history, winning the tournament a record six times. Ghana and Cameroon have won four titles each. Three different trophies have been awarded during the tournament's history, with Ghana and Cameroon winning the first two after each of them won a tournament three times. The current trophy was first awarded in 2002.
CAF AFRICAN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
The African Champions League has been contested since 1964 with clubs from Egypt being the most succesful with 11 wins.
The competition used to be known as the African Cup of Champions Clubs from 1964 until 1996. The 2008 edition was won by Al-Ahly of Egypt, who beat Cotonsport Garoua of Cameroon.