2012 Africa Cup of Nations
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).
| |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host countries | Equatorial Guinea Gabon |
| Dates | 21 January – 12 February |
| Teams | 16 |
| Venue(s) | 4 (in 4 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Zambia (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Ivory Coast |
| Third place | Mali |
| Fourth place | Ghana |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 32 |
| Goals scored | 76 (2.38 per match) |
| Attendance | 456,332 (14,260 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Manucho Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Didier Drogba Cheick Diabaté Houssine Kharja Christopher Katongo Emmanuel Mayuka (3 goals each) |
| Best player(s) | Christopher Katongo |
| Fair play award | Ivory Coast |
The competition took place between 21 January and 12 February 2012 and was co-hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. The bidding process for hosting the tournament ended in September 2006.
The matches were played in four stadiums in four host cities, with the final played at the newly built Stade d'Angondjé in Gabon's largest city, Libreville. Fourteen teams were selected for participation via a continental qualification tournament that began in July 2010.
The 2012 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations took place against the backdrop of political turmoil. Libya and Tunisia qualified for the tournament, even as the Arab Spring brought upheaval and regime change to both nations. Traditional African footballing nations such as reigning champions Egypt (also affected by political events), as well as Cameroon, Algeria, Nigeria and South Africa had failed to qualify. Players from third-placed Mali had pleaded for the insurgency in the north of their country to end.
In the first round of the tournament finals, the teams competed in round-robin groups of four teams for points, with the top two teams in each group proceeding. These eight teams advanced to the knockout stage, where three rounds of play decided which teams would participate in the final. Both host nations, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, were eliminated from the competition at the quarter-final stage.
In the final, unfancied Zambia defeated third-time finalists Ivory Coast after a dramatic penalty shootout, despite the fact that Ivory Coast did not concede a single goal during the entire tournament, giving Zambia their first continental title. Manager Hervé Renard dedicated their win to the members of the national team who died in a plane crash near the final's venue in Libreville in 1993.