Qualified teams
The top two placed teams from each of the four groups advanced to the knockout stage.
| Group | Winners | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| A |  Congo |  Equatorial Guinea |
| B |  Tunisia |  DR Congo |
| C |  Ghana |  Algeria |
| D |  Ivory Coast |  Guinea |
The knockout stage of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations was the second and final stage of the competition, following the group stage. It began on 31 January with the round of 16 and ended on 8 February 2015 with the final held at the Estadio de Bata in Bata. A total of 8 teams (the top two teams from each group) advanced to the knockout stage to compete in a single-elimination style tournament.
In the knockout stage, except for the third place play-off, if a match was level at the end of 90 minutes of normal playing time, extra time was played (two periods of 15 minutes each). If still tied after extra time, the match was decided by a penalty shoot-out to determine the winner. In the third place play-off, if the scores remained level after 90 minutes the match would go directly to a penalty shoot-out, without any extra time being played.
The top two placed teams from each of the four groups advanced to the knockout stage.
| Group | Winners | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| A | Congo | Equatorial Guinea |
| B | Tunisia | DR Congo |
| C | Ghana | Algeria |
| D | Ivory Coast | Guinea |
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 31 January – Bata | ||||||||||
| Congo | 2 | |||||||||
| 4 February – Bata | ||||||||||
| DR Congo | 4 | |||||||||
| DR Congo | 1 | |||||||||
| 1 February – Malabo | ||||||||||
| Ivory Coast | 3 | |||||||||
| Ivory Coast | 3 | |||||||||
| 8 February – Bata | ||||||||||
| Algeria | 1 | |||||||||
| Ivory Coast (p) | 0 (9) | |||||||||
| 1 February – Malabo | ||||||||||
| Ghana | 0 (8) | |||||||||
| Ghana | 3 | |||||||||
| 5 February – Malabo | ||||||||||
| Guinea | 0 | |||||||||
| Ghana | 3 | |||||||||
| 31 January – Bata | ||||||||||
| Equatorial Guinea | 0 | Third place play-off | ||||||||
| Tunisia | 1 | |||||||||
| 7 February – Malabo | ||||||||||
| Equatorial Guinea (a.e.t.) | 2 | |||||||||
| DR Congo (p) | 0 (4) | |||||||||
| Equatorial Guinea | 0 (2) | |||||||||
Congo took the lead in the 55th minute, when Férébory Doré met Delvin N'Dinga's free kick to slot home. They increased the lead seven minutes later, when after they intercepted a DR Congo pass out of the defence, Thievy Bifouma scored from the rebound after Doré's shot was saved. DR Congo pulled a goal back in the 65th minute, when Dieumerci Mbokani converted from Yannick Bolasie's cross. The equalizer came ten minutes later when Jeremy Bokila scored from Cédric Makiadi's pass. DR Congo took the lead when Joël Kimwaki headed in Neeskens Kebano's free kick in the 81st minute, and completed the comeback after Mbokani converted his own rebound to score his second goal of the match in the first minute of injury time. This put them in the semi-finals for the first time since 1998. [1] [2]
          Congo |     DR Congo |
|  |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Man of the Match: Assistant referees: |
Tunisia took the lead in the 70th minute, when Ahmed Akaïchi flicked in Hamza Mathlouthi's cross from the right. Equatorial Guinea scored the equalizer in the third minute of injury time through Javier Balboa's penalty, which was awarded after Hamza Mathlouthi was ruled to have fouled Iván Bolado. The match went to extra time, and Balboa scored the winning goal in the 102nd minute with a direct free kick, sending the hosts to their first ever semi-finals. [4] [5] The match had witnessed controversies regarding the Mauritian referee's bias refereeing in favor to the host nation, including the controversial penalty in the final minutes, resulting with Tunisian players attacking him in the end of the game. CAF decided to ban the referee for life as for the result. [6]
    Tunisia |    Equatorial Guinea |
|  |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Man of the Match: Assistant referees: |
Ghana took the lead in the 4th minute, after André Ayew back-heeled the ball for Christian Atsu to convert from close range. Ghana increased the lead in the 44th minute, as Kwesi Appiah intercepted a missed pass from the Guinea defence to score. Atsu scored his second goal of the match in the 61st minute, when he received the ball from Mubarak Wakaso on the right flank, cut inside and curled the ball into the net. Guinea goalkeeper Naby Yattara was sent off in the fourth minute of injury time for bringing down Asamoah Gyan outside the penalty box. Ghana's win sent them to the semi-finals for the fifth consecutive tournament. [8] [9]
    Ghana |     Guinea |
|  |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Man of the Match: Assistant referees: |
Ivory Coast took the lead in the 26th minute, when Wilfried Bony headed in Max Gradel's cross. Algeria equalized in the 51st minute, after Riyad Mahrez passed to Hillal Soudani to score. Bony scored his second goal of the match in the 68th minute with another header, this time from Yaya Touré's free kick. Ivory Coast sealed the win in the fourth minute of injury time, as Tallo Gadji set up Gervinho in a fast break, and they qualified for the semi-finals for the fourth time in six tournaments. [11] [12]
   Ivory Coast |      Algeria |
|  |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Man of the Match: Assistant referees: |
Ivory Coast took the lead in the 20th minute, when Yaya Touré slammed home a pass from Wilfried Bony. DR Congo equalized four minutes later through Dieumerci Mbokani's penalty, awarded for Eric Bailly's handball. Ivory Coast retook the lead in the 41st minute, as Bony set up Gervinho to score. Wilfried Kanon sealed the win in the 68th minute, as he scored from the rebound after Serge Aurier's header was saved. The win put the Ivorians into their fourth Africa Cup of Nations final. [14] [15]
DR Congo | Ivory Coast |
|  |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Man of the Match: Assistant referees: |
Ghana took the lead in the 42nd minute through Jordan Ayew's penalty, awarded after Kwesi Appiah was fouled by Felipe Ovono. In the first minute of first half injury time, Mubarak Wakaso finished Christian Atsu's pass in a counter-attack to double Ghana's lead. Ghana's third goal was scored by André Ayew from a cross by Appiah in the 75th minute. The win put the Ghanaians into a record ninth Africa Cup of Nations final. [17] [18]
Crowd disturbances began after Ghana's first goal, culminating after the third in a 40-minute stoppage while security forces corralled the Ghanaian section from the rest of the crowd. [19] The hosts were fined US$100,000 by the CAF. [20]
Ghana | Equatorial Guinea |
|  |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Man of the Match: Assistant referees: |
After a goalless 90 minutes, the match was decided by a penalty shoot-out (no extra time was played as per regulations). Equatorial Guinea missed their first and second penalties by Javier Balboa and Raúl Fabiani, while DR Congo converted all four of their kicks, giving them their best finish in the Africa Cup of Nations since 1998 when they also finished third, while the fourth-placed finish for the hosts were still their best ever in the Africa Cup of Nations. [22] [23]
| DR Congo | 0–0 | Equatorial Guinea |
|---|---|---|
| Report | ||
| Penalties | ||
Mabwati  Mabidi Mbemba Mongongu | 4–2 |  Balboa Fabiani Juvenal Ellong |
DR Congo |  Equatorial Guinea |
|  |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Man of the Match: Assistant referees: |
After a goalless 120 minutes (regulation and extra time), the match was decided by a penalty shoot-out. Ivory Coast missed their first and second penalties by Wilfried Bony and Tallo Gadji, while Ghana missed their third and fourth penalties by Afriyie Acquah and Frank Acheampong. Both teams converted their kicks in the fifth to tenth rounds, and in the eleventh round, Ivorian goalkeeper Boubacar Barry saved from his counterpart Brimah Razak, diving to his left to push the ball around the post. He then scored his own penalty shooting to the right of the net. Ivory Coast won their second title and their first since 1992, where they also defeated Ghana in the final after a penalty shoot-out, while Ghana lost their third straight Africa Cup of Nations final after their last triumph in 1982. [25] [26]
Ivory Coast | Ghana |
|  |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Man of the Match: Assistant referees: |
The Ivory Coast national football team represents Ivory Coast in men's international football. Nicknamed the Elephants, the team is managed by the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF). The team has won the Africa Cup of Nations three times, in 1992, 2015 and 2024, and has qualified for the FIFA World Cup three times, in 2006, 2010, and 2014.
The Equatorial Guinea national football team represents Equatorial Guinea in men's international football and is controlled by the Equatoguinean Football Federation, a member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the Orange Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 28th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the football championship of Africa organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The 2008 African Women's Championship was the 8th edition of the biennial African women's association football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football held between 15 and 29 November 2008 in and won by Equatorial Guinea.
The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualification was the qualification process for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, the 29th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations tournament. South Africa automatically qualified as the host country.
The 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, known as the Orange Africa Cup of Nations, Equatorial Guinea 2015 for sponsorship reasons, was the 30th staging of the Africa Cup of Nations, the international men's football championship of Africa. It was organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and was held from 17 January to 8 February 2015.
The 2012 African Women's Championship was a football competition, which was organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). The final tournament was held in from 28 October to 11 November in Equatorial Guinea.
Group A of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations ran from 21 January until 29 January. It consisted of Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Senegal and Zambia. The matches were held at Equatorial Guinea. Zambia and Equatorial Guinea progressed to the quarterfinals.
Group B of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations ran from 22 January until 30 January. It consisted of Angola, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Sudan. The matches were held in Equatorial Guinea. Ivory Coast and Sudan progressed to the quarterfinals.
The 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches determined the participating teams for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.
Group A of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations was played from 17 January until 25 January in Equatorial Guinea. The group consisted of the hosts Equatorial Guinea, Burkina Faso, Gabon, and Congo. Congo and Equatorial Guinea advanced as group winners and runners-up respectively, while Gabon and Burkina Faso were eliminated.
Group B of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations was played from 18 January until 26 January in Equatorial Guinea. The group consisted of Zambia, Tunisia, Cape Verde, and DR Congo. Tunisia and DR Congo advanced as group winners and runners-up respectively, while Cape Verde and Zambia were eliminated.
Group C of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations was played from 19 January until 27 January in Equatorial Guinea. The group consisted of Ghana, Algeria, South Africa, and Senegal. Ghana and Algeria advanced as group winners and runners-up respectively, while Senegal and South Africa were eliminated.
Group D of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations was played from 20 January until 28 January in Equatorial Guinea. The group consisted of Ivory Coast, Mali, Cameroon, and Guinea. Ivory Coast and Guinea advanced as group winners and runners-up respectively, while Mali and Cameroon were eliminated.
The 2014 CEMAC Cup is the ninth edition of the CEMAC Cup – the football championship of Central African nations.
The 2015 Africa Cup of Nations final was a football match that took place on 8 February 2015 to determine the winner of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, the football championship of Africa organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). The match was held at the Estadio de Bata in Bata, Equatorial Guinea, and was contested by Ghana and Ivory Coast. Ghana reached the final by winning their qualifying group and then defeating Guinea and Equatorial Guinea in the quarter-final and semi-final. Ivory Coast also qualified as group winners, after which they beat Algeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The 2018 Women's Africa Cup of Nations qualification was a women's football competition which decided the participating teams of the 2018 Women's Africa Cup of Nations.
The 2019 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations qualification was a men's under-17 football competition which decided the participating teams of the 2019 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations.
Ivory Coast is one of Africa's major forces in the Africa Cup of Nations. Ivory Coast has won the tournament three times, most recently as hosts in 2023. They previously won in 1992 and 2015. Ivory Coast has also finished as runner up twice, in 2006 and 2012.
The knockout stage of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations was the second and final stage of the competition, following the group stage. It began on 27 January with the round of 16 and ended on 11 February 2024 with the final held at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan. A total of sixteen teams advanced to the knockout stage to compete in a single-elimination style tournament.
