AFCON hosts and the weight of home dreams, by Kabiru Ahmad Ibrahim
Story by Kabiru Ahmad Ibrahim (Student at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria)
Every time the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament is being hosted by a country, it brings more than football. It brings expectation. Streets are repainted, stadiums glow under new floodlights, and millions of fans convince themselves that this time, on home soil, history might finally bend their way.
READ ALSO: Morocco defeats Nigeria on penalties to reach AFCON final
Since 1957, AFCON has offered host nations that seductive promise: the chance to turn national celebration into continental triumph. Sometimes it happens. Often, it doesn’t.
No country understands the power of hosting better than Egypt. The Pharaohs have made AFCON their personal domain, hosting the tournament more than any other nation and repeatedly converting familiarity into dominance. Victories in 1959, 1986, and 2006, all achieved at home, were not accidents. They were the product of deep football culture, experienced squads, and an almost unshakable sense of destiny. Hosting did not create Egypt’s success, it amplified it.
In West Africa, Ghana enjoyed a similar relationship with the tournament. Hosting in 1963 and 1978, the Black Stars enjoyed the roaring home support to lift the trophy twice, reinforcing their status as one of Africa’s early football superpowers.
Ethiopia and Sudan also tasted the rare joy of winning AFCON on home soil, in 1962 and 1970 respectively, moments that remain central to their football folklore decades later.
As the tournament grew in size and visibility, the list of hosts-turned-champions expanded. Nigeria’s 1980 victory in Lagos felt inevitable from the opening match, a nation carried forward by talent and confidence.
Algeria, hosting in 1990, used the tournament as a rallying point, uniting football and national pride into a first AFCON title. South Africa’s win in 1996, just two years after returning from international isolation, transcended sport, it became a symbol of rebirth.
Tunisia followed the script in 2004, while Ivory Coast’s dramatic home victory at the 2023 AFCON proved that even in the modern era, hosting can still fuel miracles.
But AFCON is also a tournament of heartbreak, and host nations often carry the heaviest emotional burden. Libya came within touching distance in 1982, only to fall at the final hurdle.
Burkina Faso, Mali, and Angola invested heavily in hosting editions in 1998, 2002, and 2010, yet saw visiting teams celebrate instead. The banners came down, the stadium lights dimmed, and the dream slipped quietly away.
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For Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, hosting AFCON jointly in 2012 and separately in later years brought visibility and pride, but not the trophy. Their experience highlighted a recurring truth: organisation and infrastructure can welcome Africa, but they cannot substitute for elite footballing depth. Even co-hosting giants like Ghana and Nigeria in 2000 were unable to stop Cameroon from seizing the crown.
Looking ahead, the story is far from over. Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, set to co-host the 2027 AFCON, will inherit both the excitement and the pressure that come with the role. None of them has ever won the tournament, but AFCON history is rich with firsts, and belief often arrives before proof.
As Morocco hosts the current Africa Cup of Nations, the familiar weight of expectation is firmly on their shoulders. As they have reached the semifinals, they’re placed within touching distance of a historic breakthrough on home soil. Whether this journey ends in continental glory or another painful lesson for a host nation is still uncertain, but Morocco’s position once again highlights how hosting AFCON can turn hope into genuine belief.
In the end, the Africa Cup of Nations continues to remind us why football grips the continent so deeply. Home advantage can inspire, crowds can lift tired legs, and hosting can turn nations into festivals of colour and sound. But trophies are stubborn things. They demand preparation, composure, and moments of brilliance whether at home or far away.
For every host that rises to the moment, another learns that in African football, dreams are welcomed, but only the strongest teams are rewarded.
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