The 1972 African Cup of Nations was the eighth edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the association football championship of Africa (CAF). It was hosted by Cameroon, in the cities of Yaoundé and Douala. Just like in 1970, the field of eight teams was split into two groups of four. The People's Republic of the Congo won its first championship, beating Mali in the final 3−2.
| Coupe d'Afrique des Nations 1972 | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Cameroon |
| Dates | 23 February – 5 March |
| Teams | 8 |
| Venue | 2 (in 2 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Congo (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Mali |
| Third place | Cameroon |
| Fourth place | Zaire |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 16 |
| Goals scored | 53 (3.31 per match) |
| Attendance | 425,000 (26,563 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Fantamady Keita (5 goals) |
| Best player | François M'Pelé |
← 1970 1974 → | |
Qualified teams
For the first time, Ethiopia did not compete. The 8 qualified teams are:
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearances in tournament |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cameroon | Hosts | 1 (1970) | |
| Sudan | Holders | 16 February 1970 | 4 (1957, 1959, 1963, 1970) |
| Morocco | 2nd round winners | 16 April 1971 | 0 (debut) |
| Togo | 2nd round winners | 20 June 1971 | 0 (debut) |
| Mali | 2nd round winners | 27 June 1971 | 0 (debut) |
| Congo | 2nd round winners | 18 July 1971 | 1 (1968) |
| Kenya | 2nd round winners | 18 July 1971 | 0 (debut) |
| Zaire | 2nd round winners | 27 October 1971 | 3 (1965, 1968, 1970) |
- Notes
- Bold indicates champion for that year, Italic indicates host.
Squads
Venues
The competition was played in two venues in Yaoundé and Douala.
| Yaoundé | Yaoundé Douala |
|---|---|
| Stade Omnisports | |
| Capacity: 38,720 | |
| Douala | |
| Stade de la Réunification | |
| Capacity: 30,000 | |
Group stage
Tiebreakers
If two or more teams finished level on points after completion of the group matches, the following tie-breakers were used to determine the final ranking:
- Goal difference in all group matches
- Greater number of goals scored in all group matches
- Drawing of lots
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cameroon (H) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 5 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Mali | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 | |
| 3 | Kenya | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 2 | |
| 4 | Togo | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 2 |
| Cameroon | 2–1 | Kenya |
|---|---|---|
| N'Doga 7' N'Dongo 20' | Niva 44' |
| Mali | 3–3 | Togo |
|---|---|---|
| B Traoré 10' F. Keita 46' B. Touré 49' | Kaolo 45' (pen.), 60' Adé 81' |
| Mali | 1–1 | Kenya |
|---|---|---|
| F. Keita 45' | Nicodémus 60' |
| Cameroon | 2–0 | Togo |
|---|---|---|
| Maya 64' Mvé 79' |
| Togo | 1–1 | Kenya |
|---|---|---|
| Kaolo 60' | Pelé Ouma 30' |
| Cameroon | 1–1 | Mali |
|---|---|---|
| N'Doumbé 67' | F. Keita 43' |
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zaire | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 4 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Congo | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 | |
| 3 | Morocco | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
| 4 | Sudan | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 2 |
| Congo | 1–1 | Morocco |
|---|---|---|
| Moukila 45' | Faras 34' |
| Zaire | 1–1 | Sudan |
|---|---|---|
| Mayanga 53' | Hasabu El-Sagheer 55' |
| Morocco | 1–1 | Sudan |
|---|---|---|
| Faras 32' | Abdel-Nadief 49' |
| Zaire | 2–0 | Congo |
|---|---|---|
| N'Tumba 16', 59' |
| Morocco | 1–1 | Zaire |
|---|---|---|
| Faras 36' | Mayanga 3' |
| Congo | 4–2 | Sudan |
|---|---|---|
| M'Bono 8', 55' M'Pelé 32' Bahamboula 46' | Abdel Wahab 37' Wahba 44' |
Knockout stage
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| 2 March – Yaoundé | ||||||
| Cameroon | 0 | |||||
| 5 March – Yaoundé | ||||||
| Congo | 1 | |||||
| Congo | 3 | |||||
| 2 March – Douala | ||||||
| Mali | 2 | |||||
| Zaire | 3 | |||||
| Mali (a.e.t.) | 4 | |||||
| Third place | ||||||
| 4 March – Yaoundé | ||||||
| Cameroon | 5 | |||||
| Zaire | 2 | |||||
Semifinals
| Cameroon | 0–1 | Congo |
|---|---|---|
| Minga 31' |
| Zaire | 3–4 (a.e.t.) | Mali |
|---|---|---|
| N'Tumba 6' Etepé 61' Ngassebe 78' | A. Traoré 17' F. Keita 48', 92' B. Touré 68' |
Third place match
| Cameroon | 5–2 | Zaire |
|---|---|---|
| Akono 4' (pen.) N'Dongo 31' Owona 32' Mouthé 34' N'Doga 42' | Etepé 13' Mayanga 17' |
Final
| Congo | 3–2 | Mali |
|---|---|---|
| M'Bono 57', 59' M'Pelé 63' | Diakhité 42' M. Traoré 75' |
Goalscorers
There were 53 goals scored in 16 matches, for an average of 3.31 goals per match.
5 goals
- Fantamady Keita
4 goals
- Jean-Michel M'Bono
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
- Jean Paul Akono
- Simo Emmanuel Mvé
- François N'Doumbe
- Joseph Yegba Maya
- Philippe Michel Mouthé
- Norbert Owona
- Jonas Bahamboula
- Noël Minga
- Paul Moukila
- Daniel Arudhi Nicodémus
- Jonathan Niva
- Peter "Pelé" Ouma
- Adama Traoré
- Bakary Traoré
- Moussa Diakhité
- Moussa Traoré
- Bushara Abdel-Nadief
- Kamal Abdel Wahab
- Hasabu El-Sagheer
- Ahmed Bushara Wahba
- Covi Adé
- Gary Ngassebe
Team of the tournament
Source:
| Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allal Ben Kassou | Mohamed El-Sir Abdalla Bwanga Tshimen Paul N'lend Boujemaa Benkhrif | Mayanga Maku Noël Minga-Tchibinda Paul-Gaston N'Dongo Jean-Pierre Tokoto | Kakoko Etepé François M'Pelé |
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