Eto’o, Song and Other Top Record Holders at AFCON Ahead of 2025 Edition in Morocco
- The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations kicks off on December 21 in the North African country of Morocco
- Host nation Morocco will face Comoros in the opening match at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat
- CAF has published nine of the best records set at the tournament, including the most appearances in history
The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations kicks off on Sunday, December 21, 2025, in Morocco, as the continent comes together for its biggest football event.
Host national team, the Atlas Lions of Morocco, will face the Coelacanths of Comoros, who are entering the competition for the second time.
Source: Getty Images
The match will be played at the 68,000-capacity Complexe Sportif Moulay in Rabat, which was renovated for AFCON and will also host the final match.
The 2025 showpiece is the 35th edition of the competition, and it has witnessed some great moments, which defined legacies and birthed new stars.
Legit.ng examines some records at the tournament, as outlined by CAF.
Top records at AFCON
Most tournaments played
Four players share this record for appearing at eight editions of the tournament. Cameroonian legend Rigobert Song and Egyptian legend Ahmed Hassan were the first to feature in eight after playing in every edition from 1996 to 2010.
Andre Ayew and Youssef Msakni picked up where Song and Hassan left off. The Ghanaian featured from 2008 to 2023, while the Tunisian played from 2010 to 2023. Song and Ayew hold the record for the most matches played, with 36.
Most titles won by a player
According to Statista, the Pharaohs of Egypt are the most successful team in the tournament with seven titles, including three consecutive trophies in 2006, 2008 and 2010.
It is no surprise that two of their players, Ahmed Hassan and Essam Al Hadary, have won it four times. They were part of the title-winning squad in 1998 and led the team through the three-peat between 2006 and 2010.
Most goals record
Ivory Coast’s Laurent Poukou holds the record for the most goals in a single match when he scored five during a 6-1 win over Ethiopia in 1970. DR Congo’s Pierre Ndaye Mulamba scored the most goals in a single tournament in 1974.
Cameroonian legend Samuel Eto'o scored 18 goals at six tournaments for the most goals in history, while Egypt's Hassan El-Shazly has the most hat-tricks with two and Egypt's Ayman Mansour scored the fastest goal in 23 seconds in 1994.
Source: Getty Images
Six legends have won the Golden Boots twice: Laurent Poukou, Segun Odegbami, Roger Milla, Rashidi Yekini, Patrick M’boma and Samuel Eto'o.
Former Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong is the highest-scoring defender in the history of the competition with five goals, including three at AFCON 2023.
Highest scoring match
Egypt and Nigeria combined for the highest scoring match in AFCON history when the Pharaohs defeated the Green Eagles 6-3 during their tournament debut in 1963.
Hassan El-Shazly and Reda scored hat-tricks, while Asuquo Ekpe scored Nigeria’s first-ever goal at the tournament.
Supercomputer predicts AFCON 2025 winner
Legit.ng reported that Opta's supercomputer predicted Morocco as the winner of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, as the North Africans prepare to host the continent.
The Atlas Lions have been one of the best countries on the continent, and made history at the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup as the first African country to reach the semi-final.
Source: Legit.ng
