The Africa Cup of Nations, commonly abbreviated as AFCON and officially known as the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, is the main biennial international men's association football competition in Africa. It is sanctioned by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and was first held in 1957. Since 1968, it has been held every two years, switching to odd-numbered years in 2013.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) (in French Confédération Africaine de Football) is the administrative and controlling body for association football, beach soccer, and futsal in Africa. It was established on 8 February 1957 at the Grand Hotel in Khartoum, Sudan by the national football associations of: Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and South Africa. following formal discussions between the aforementioned associations at the FIFA Congress held on 7 June 1956 at Avenida Hotel in Lisbon, Portugal.
Egypt national football team, nicknamed "Pharaohs", represents Egypt in men's international football, and is governed by the Egyptian Football Association (EFA), the governing body of football in Egypt.
The Sudan national football team represents Sudan in international football and is controlled by the Sudan Football Association, the governing body for football in Sudan. Its home ground is Khartoum Stadium in the capital Khartoum. In 1957, it was one of the three teams to participate in the inaugural Africa Cup of Nations, the other two being Egypt and Ethiopia.
The Eritrea national football team represents Eritrea in men's international football and it is controlled by the Eritrean National Football Federation (ENFF). It is nicknamed the Red Sea Boys. It has never qualified for the finals of the FIFA World Cup or the Africa Cup of Nations. Asmara side Red Sea FC are the main supplier for the national team and the team represents both FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF). Out of 211 national teams in the FIFA men's team world rankings, they are the only one that is unranked.
The Spain national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Spain and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation. The team, nicknamed La Rojita, competes in the biennial UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
The Nigeria national U-17 football team, known as the Golden Eaglets, is the youngest team that represents Nigeria in football. The team is the most successful in international football for their age group, winning a record five FIFA U-17 World Cup titles and have been runners-up on three occasions. They are also two-time Africa U-17 Cup of Nations champions with their most recent title at the 2007 edition.
The Tunisia national women's football team, nicknamed The Eagles of Carthage, is the national team of Tunisia and is controlled by the Tunisian Football Federation. The team competes in the Africa Women Cup of Nations, UNAF Women's Tournament, Arab Women's Championship and the Women's World Cup, which is held every four years.
Uruguay national under-20 football team represents Uruguay in international football competitions such as FIFA U-20 World Cup and the South American Youth Football Championship. They are the current reigning FIFA U-20 World Champions.
The Ukraine national under-19 football team also known as the Junior football team of Ukraine represents Ukraine in international football in the UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship and finals of the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
The Croatia national under-17 football team represents Croatia in international football matches for players aged 17 or under. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Croatia. It is a member of UEFA in Europe and FIFA in global competitions. The team's colours reference two national symbols: the Croatian checkerboard and the country's tricolour. They are colloquially referred to as the Mali vatreni. So far, the Mali vatreni qualified for nine UEFA European Under-17 Championships. Croatia's greatest success in the tournament was third place in 2001. The team also finished fourth in 2005. Croatia also participated in three FIFA U-17 World Cups since its independence, in 2001, 2013 and 2015, being eliminated in quarter-finals in 2015, its biggest success so far in this tournament.
The United States U-17 women's national soccer team is a youth soccer team operated under the auspices of U.S. Soccer. Its primary role is the development of players in preparation for the senior national team. The team's most recent major tournament was the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, in which the United States team lost to Nigeria on penalties at the quarter-finals. The team competes in a variety of competitions, including the biennial FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, which is the top competition for this age group.
The Lebanon national under-23 football team, also known as the Lebanon Olympic football team, represents Lebanon in international under-23 association football competitions. Controlled by the Lebanese Football Association (LFA), the squad is governed by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) continentally, and FIFA worldwide. The team also serves as the national under-22 football team of Lebanon.
The India national under-20 football team represents India at all international under-20 tournaments. They act as the main feeder team for the India U-23 and the senior Indian football team.
The Central African Republic women's national football team represents the Central African Republic (CAR) in international women's football. It is governed by the Central African Football Federation. It played its first international matches in 2018 in the Cup of Nations qualifiers. The country's youth national team has played in several matches and events, including an Under-19 World Cup qualifying competition in which the team lost in the semi-finals. As is the case across Africa, the women's game faces numerous challenges. Football was only formally organised in 2000, and there are only 400 players competing at the national level.
Taiwo Micheal Awoniyi is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Nottingham Forest and the Nigeria national team.
Almoez Ali Zainalabedeen Mohamed Abdulla is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for and captains the Qatar Stars League club Al-Duhail. Born in Sudan, he plays for the Qatar national team, and is currently the nation's all-time top goalscorer.
Funsho Ibrahim Bamgboye is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Süper Lig club Hatayspor.
The Morocco women's national under-20 football team, nicknamed the Atlas Lionesses, represents Morocco in international youth women's football competitions. Its primary role is the development of players in preparation for the senior women's national team. The team competes in a variety of competitions, including the biennial FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup and African U-20 Women's World Cup qualification, which is the top competitions for this age group.
The Somalia national under-20 football team, nicknamed the Ocean Stars, represents Somalia in international youth football competitions. Its primary role is the development of players in preparation for the senior national team. The team competes in a variety of competitions, including the biennial FIFA U-20 World Cup and the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, which is the top competitions for this age group.
