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

thumb|300px|Participating nations

For full qualification see: 1996 African Cup of Nations qualification

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left;"

|-

! Team

! Qualified as

! Qualified on

! Previous appearances in tournament

|-

| || Hosts || || (debut)

|-

| <s></s> || Holders || || (1963, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994)

|-

| || Group 5 winners || || (1994)

|-

| || Group 1 winners || || (1965, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1988, 1992, 1994)

|-

| || Group 5 runners-up || || (1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1994)

|-

| || Group 4 runners-up || || (1968, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992)

|-

| || Group 6 winners || || (debut)

|-

| || Group 7 winners || || (1978)

|-

| || Group 1 runners-up || || (1970, 1972, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992)

|-

| || Group 4 winners || || (1957, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1970, 1974, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1986,<br>1988, 1990, 1992, 1994)

|-

| || Group 3 winners || || (1963, 1965, 1968, 1970, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1992, 1994)

|-

| || Group 7 runners-up || || (1965, 1968, 1970, 1974, 1980, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992,<br>1994)

|-

| || Group 2 runners-up || || (debut)

|-

| || Group 6 runners-up || || (1986)

|-

| || Group 3 runners-up || || (1994)

|-

| || Group 2 winners || || (1962, 1963, 1965, 1978, 1982, 1994)

|}

;Notes

Squads

Venues

<div style="text-align: center;">

{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center"

|-

! width=160 | Johannesburg !! rowspan=8 |

! width=160 | Durban

|-

| FNB Stadium || Kings Park Stadium

|-

| 150px || 150px

|-

| Capacity: 80,000 || Capacity: 52,000

|-

! width=160 | Bloemfontein || Port Elizabeth

|-

| Free State Stadium || EPRU Stadium

|-

| 150px || 150px

|-

| Capacity: 40,000 || Capacity: 33,852

|}

</div>

First round

Teams highlighted in green progress to the Quarter Finals.

Group A

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Group B

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Group C

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<small> withdrew, so their three matches were canceled.</small>

  • <small>vs. , 16 January 1996</small>
  • <small>vs. , 19 January 1996</small>
  • <small>vs. , 25 January 1996</small>

Group D

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Knockout stage

Quarterfinals

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Semifinals

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Third place match

Final

Goalscorers

CAF Team of the Tournament

Goalkeeper

  • Chokri El Ouaer

Defenders

  • Yasser Radwan
  • Mark Fish
  • Elijah Litana
  • Isaac Asare

Midfielders

  • Zoubeir Baya
  • Hazem Emam
  • Abedi Pele
  • Mark Williams

Forwards

  • Kalusha Bwalya
  • Tony Yeboah

References

  • Details at RSSSF
  • Details at www.angelfire.com