1996 African Cup of Nations


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. 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

For full qualification see: 1996 African Cup of Nations qualification
TeamQualified asQualified onPrevious appearances in tournament
Hosts
Holders
Group 5 winners
Group 1 winners
Group 5 runners-up
Group 4 runners-up
Group 6 winners
Group 7 winners
Group 1 runners-up
Group 4 winners
Group 3 winners
Group 7 runners-up
Group 2 runners-up
Group 6 runners-up
Group 3 runners-up
Group 2 winners

;Notes

Venues


Johannesburg
Durban
FNB Stadium
Kings Park Stadium

Capacity: 80,000
Capacity: 52,000
Bloemfontein
Port Elizabeth
Free State Stadium
EPRU Stadium

Capacity: 40,000
Capacity: 33,852


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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withdrew, so their three matches were canceled.

Group D


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Knockout stage

Quarterfinals

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Semifinals

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CAF Team of the Tournament

Goalkeeper
Defenders
Midfielders
Forwards