By Ayomide Tayo
The 29th edition of the African Cup of Nations will be hosted by South Africa. This is the second time the rainbow nation will be hosting the premier football competition in Africa. AFCON 2013 is scheduled to start on the Saturday, January 19, and will end on Sunday February 10. Libya was the original host, but due to the political unrest in the country, CAF gave the hosting rights to South Africa.
A total of 16 countries (including the hosts), will be participating in this year’s tournament. The nations that qualified for AFCON 2013 are; South Africa, Nigeria, Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote D’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Morocco, Niger, DR Congo, Tunisia, Togo and Zambia, the defending champions, who won the AFCON last year in dramatic fashion.
Venues of the African Cup of Nations 2013
The 2013 African Cup of Nations will be take place in 5 cities in South Africa; Johannesburg, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Nelspruit and Rustenburg. The National Stadium in Johannesburg will host the opening and closing ceremonies. The stadium has a capacity of 94, 700. The stadium with the least capacity is the Mbombela Stadium at Nelspruit, which has a capacity of 41, 000.
GROUP TABLE
GROUP A
| TEAM | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
| South Africa | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Angola | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Morocco | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Cape Verde | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
GROUP B
| TEAM | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
| Ghana | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Mali | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Niger | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Congo DR | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
GROUP C
| TEAM | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
| Zambia | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Nigeria | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Burkina Faso | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ethiopia | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
GROUP D
| TEAM | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
| Cote D’Ivoire | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Tunisia | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Algeria | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Togo | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Teams That Have Won The African Cup Of Nations
Egypt- 7, Ghana- 4, Cameroon- 4, Nigeria- 2, Congo DR- 2, Tunisia- 1, Sudan- 1, Ivory Coast- 1, Algeria- 1, Morocco- 1, Ethiopia- 1, South Africa- 1, Congo- 1, Zambia- 1
Kings Of Goals At AFCON
Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon) – 18 goals
Laurent Poku (Cote D’Ivoire) – 14 goals
Rashidi Yekini (Nigeria) – 13 goals
Hassan El-Shazly (Egypt) – 12 goals Patrick Mboma (Cameroon), Hossam Hassan (Egypt) – 12 goals
Nicknames of Teams at AFCON 2013
South Africa- Bafana Bafana
Nigeria- Super Eagles
Angola- Palancas Negras (Black Antelopes)
Morocco- Al Esoud Al-Atlasiyah (Lions of the Atlas)
Cape Verde- Tubarões Azuis (Blue Sharks)
Ghana- Black Stars
Mali- Les Aigles (Eagles)
Niger- Mena
Congo DR- Les Léopards (The Leopards)
Zambia- Chipolopolo (The Copper Bullets)
Burkina Faso- Les Étalons (The Stallions)
Ethiopia- Not available
Cote D’Ivoire- Les Éléphants (The Elephants)
Tunisia- Les Aigles de Carthage (Eagles of Carthage)
Algeria- Desert Foxes/Desert Warriors
Togo- Les Éperviers (The Sparrowhawks)
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