The 1972 African Cup of Nations was the eighth edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the association football championship of Africa (CAF). It was hosted by Cameroon, in the cities of Yaoundé and Douala. Just like in 1970, the field of eight teams was split into two groups of four. The People's Republic of the Congo won its first championship, beating Mali in the final 3−2.
| Coupe d'Afrique des Nations 1972 | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Cameroon |
| Dates | 23 February – 5 March |
| Teams | 8 |
| Venue(s) | 2 (in 2 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Congo (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Mali |
| Third place |  Cameroon |
| Fourth place |  Zaire |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 16 |
| Goals scored | 53 (3.31 per match) |
| Attendance | 425,000 (26,563 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Fantamady Keita (5 goals) |
| Best player(s) | François M'Pelé |
← 1970 1974 → | |
Qualified teams
editFor the first time, Ethiopia did not compete. The 8 qualified teams are:
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearances in tournament[a] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hosts | 1 (1970) | ||
| Holders | 16 February 1970 | 4 (1957, 1959, 1963, 1970) | |
| 2nd round winners | 16 April 1971 | 0 (debut) | |
| 2nd round winners | 20 June 1971 | 0 (debut) | |
| 2nd round winners | 27 June 1971 | 0 (debut) | |
| 2nd round winners | 18 July 1971 | 1 (1968) | |
| 2nd round winners | 18 July 1971 | 0 (debut) | |
| 2nd round winners | 27 October 1971 | 3 (1965, 1968, 1970) |
- Notes
- ^ Bold indicates champion for that year, Italic indicates host.
Squads
editVenues
editThe competition was played in two venues in Yaoundé and Douala.
| Yaoundé | |
|---|---|
| Stade Omnisports | |
| Capacity: 38,720 | |
| Douala | |
| Stade de la Réunification | |
| Capacity: 30,000 | |
Group stage
editTiebreakers
editIf two or more teams finished level on points after completion of the group matches, the following tie-breakers were used to determine the final ranking:
- Goal difference in all group matches
- Greater number of goals scored in all group matches
- Drawing of lots
Group A
edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 5 | Advance to knockout stage | |
| 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 2 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 2 |
Group B
edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 4 | Advance to knockout stage | |
| 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 2 |
| Zaire | 1–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Mayanga |
Hasabu El-Sagheer |
| Morocco | 1–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Faras |
Abdel-Nadief |
| Congo | 4–2 | |
|---|---|---|
| M'Bono M'Pelé Bahamboula |
Abdel Wahab Wahba |
Knockout stage
edit| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| 2 March – Yaoundé | ||||||
| | 0 | |||||
| 5 March – Yaoundé | ||||||
| | 1 | |||||
| | 3 | |||||
| 2 March – Douala | ||||||
| | 2 | |||||
| | 3 | |||||
| | 4 | |||||
| Third place | ||||||
| 4 March – Yaoundé | ||||||
| | 5 | |||||
| | 2 | |||||
Semifinals
edit| Zaire | 3–4 (a.e.t.) | |
|---|---|---|
| N'Tumba Etepé Ngassebe |
A. Traoré F. Keita B. Touré |
Third place match
edit| Cameroon | 5–2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Akono N'Dongo Owona Mouthé N'Doga |
Etepé Mayanga |
Final
editGoalscorers
editThere were 53 goals scored in 16 matches, for an average of 3.31 goals per match.
5 goals
4 goals
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
Jean Paul Akono
Jonas Bahamboula
Daniel Arudhi Nicodémus
Adama Traoré
Bushara Abdel-Nadief
Covi Adé
Gary Ngassebe
Team of the tournament
editSource:[1]
| Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
References
edit- ^ "African Nations Cup 1972 - Final Tournament Details". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 10 October 2023.