Africa-Press – Uganda. The 32 editions of the Africa Cup of Nations have had exactly 18 different hosts. However, eight of these have managed to make home advantage count by winning the trophy on home soil.
Ten of these hosts have had the opportunity to host the continental showpiece at least more than once but only Egypt (1959, 1986 and 2006) and Ghana (1963 and 1978) have managed to win it more than once at home.
Also winning at home seems to be a trend of yesteryears as nine of the 11 trophies won by hosts came between 1959 and 1996. The other two went to Tunisia in 2004 and 2006.
This is the background the 2021 and 33rd edition hosts Cameroon will counter as they seek to win a sixth title.
For the period he was Caf president (1988-2017), Issa Hayatou, ironically, never gave the Afcon hosting rights to his home nation.
So for the first time since 1972, the continental showpiece returns to Cameroon. That is 49 years since the trophy was won by an underdog in Congo Brazzaville.
Some underdogs will hope that Cameroon 2021 keeps to form as “anyone’s tournament” given that the last four trophies have gone to past heavyweights like Nigeria (2013 in South Africa), Ivory Coast (2015 in Equatorial Guinea), Cameroon (2017 in Gabon) and Algeria (2019 in Egypt).
Cameroon have had to create their Afcon history away from home but there is no doubt that the nation will demand coach Rigobert Song and his troops to walk to and out of that final at the newly built 60,000 seater Olembe Stadium in Yaoundé as winners.
The nation caused heartbreaks elsewhere especially when they won it in Ivory Coast (1984), Morocco (1988) and Ghana (2000) and will now hope no rival kills their dream.
Song who won it in Ghana and Mali (2002) will be all aware of this. After all, he alongside Egypt’s Ahmed Hassan ha r had the most tournament appearances at eight apiece.
Samuel Eto’o, is also a man of a lot of Afcon history.
Host-winners
Egypt: 1959, 1986, 2006
Ethiopia: 1962
Ghana: 1963, 1972
Sudan: 1970
Nigeria: 1980
Algeria: 1990
South Africa: 1996
Tunisia: 2004
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