The 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, known as the

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

Africa Cup of Nations, Equatorial Guinea 2015 for sponsorship reasons, was the 30th staging of the

Africa Cup of Nations 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 s ...

, the international men's

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

championship of Africa. It was organized by the

Confederation of African Football The Confederation of African Football (CAF) 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. At the FIFA Co ...

(CAF) and was held from 17 January to 8 February 2015. The tournament was initially scheduled to be hosted by Morocco who later demanded postponement of the event because of the

Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa The 2013–2016 epidemic of Ebola virus disease, centered in West Africa, was the most widespread outbreak of the disease in history. It caused major loss of life and socioeconomic disruption in the region, mainly in Guinea, Liberia and S ...

; subsequently Morocco was ruled out as a host country and replaced by Equatorial Guinea.

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest List of ci ...

won the tournament for their second Africa Cup of Nations title, defeating

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

9–8 in a

penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...

after the final finished goalless following

extra time Overtime (OT) or extra time (ET) is an additional period of play to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played only if the game is required t ...

. The

DR Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

came third and the hosts

Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. It has an area of . Formerly the colony of Spanish Guinea, its post-independence name refers to its location both near the Equ ...

fourth, while defending champions

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

did not qualify.

Host selection

Bids : *Botswana (withdrew) *Cameroon (withdrew) *DR Congo (withdrew) *Guinea (withdrew) *Morocco (selected as hosts for 2015) *South Africa ''(selected as hosts for 2017)'' *Zambia (withdrew) *Zimbabwe (withdrew) CAF received 3 bids before 30 September 2010, the deadline, to host either the 2015 or

2017 Africa Cup of Nations The 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (abbreviated as AFCON 2017 or CAN 2017), known as the Total 2017 Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 31st edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial international men's football champions ...

from DR Congo, Morocco and South Africa. All three bids were originally put on a shortlist. CAF then began an inspection procedure, on November and December 2010, intending to visit each bidding country to view stadiums, infrastructure, and football interest. They inspected the DR Congo first. Shortly after the inspection, DR Congo informed CAF that they would be withdrawing their bids for both the 2015 and 2017 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. Morocco was the next country to be inspected, with CAF visiting the country in early November 2010. South Africa was inspected in December 2010. On 29 January, during the

2011 CAF Super Cup The 2011 CAF Super Cup (also known as the 2011 Orange CAF Super Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 19th CAF Super Cup, an annual football match in Africa organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), between the winners of the previo ...

, the CAF Board decided that Morocco would host the 2015 African Cup of Nations, while the 2017 edition would be held in South Africa. The four Morocco host cities which were scheduled to host the tournament were

Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ) is the Capital (political), capital city of Morocco and the List of cities in Morocco, country's seventh-largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan population of over 1.2 million. ...

Marrakesh Marrakesh or Marrakech (; , ) is the fourth-largest city in Morocco. It is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakesh–Safi Regions of Morocco, region. The city lies west of the foothills of the Atlas Mounta ...

Agadir Agadir (, ; ) is a major List of cities in Morocco, city in Morocco, on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean near the foot of the Atlas Mountains, just north of the point where the Sous River, Souss River flows into the ocean, and south of Casabla ...

and

Tangier Tangier ( ; , , ) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The city is the capital city, capital of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, as well as the Tangier-Assilah Prefecture of Moroc ...

, as announced by the CAF Executive Committee on 23 September 2013.

Casablanca Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...

would serve as an alternative venue.

Moroccan withdrawal

In October 2014, the

government of Morocco The Cabinet of Morocco is the chief executive body of the Kingdom of Morocco. The Cabinet is composed of some 24 ministers including 5 "Minister Delegates". It is headed by the Prime Minister since August 2011, who is appointed by the King of Moro ...

requested a postponement of the tournament due to the

. After the matter was discussed at the executive committee meeting on 2 November 2014, CAF decided to keep the date of the tournament, while also asking for a clarification from the

Royal Moroccan Football Federation The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (; Tamazight: ⵜⴰⵙⴷⴰⵡⵉⵜ ⵜⴰⴳⵍⴷⴰⵏⵜ ⵜⴰⵎⵖⵔⴰⴱⵉⵜ ⵏ ⵜⵡⵊⴰ ⵏ ⵓⴹⴰⵔ) is the governing body of football in Morocco. It was established in 1956. It beca ...

of whether they still wish to host the tournament. On 8 November, Morocco failed to meet this deadline to confirm it would host the tournament. Three days later CAF confirmed that Morocco would not host the tournament and a new host would be chosen from a list of countries which have expressed interest. Morocco, who had previously qualified as hosts, were disqualified from participation at the tournament. CAF confirmed legal action against Morocco due to a contract signed in April 2014. Moroccan Sports Minister Mohamed Ouzzine said that CAF had falsely accused his country of "refusing" to host the tournament when it wanted it postponed, and justified the decision by citing that the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

gives every country the right to protect its citizens. On 6 February 2015, CAF announced that Morocco had been banned from the next two AFCON tournaments, fined 1 million US dollars, as well as demanding 9 million US dollars in compensation. However, the ban was overturned by the

Court of Arbitration for Sport The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS; , TAS) is an international body established in 1984 to settle disputes related to sport through arbitration. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland, and its courts are located in New York City, Sy ...

, meaning Morocco could (and later did) enter the tournaments. Egypt, Ghana, South Africa and Sudan all declined to take over as hosts.

Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

, the hosts of the 2010 edition, were spoken of as a potential replacement due to existing stadia and infrastructure in the country. However, a member of the

Angolan Football Federation The Angolan Football Federation (; abbreviated as FAF) is the governing body of football in Angola. It was founded in 1979, and affiliated to FIFA and to CAF in 1980. It organizes the national football league Girabola and the national team. An ...

stated that it could not be possible as the new government budget did not include any tournaments. On 14 November 2014, CAF announced that Equatorial Guinea would host the tournament.

Qualification

Qualification for the tournament were made up of four stages, three preliminary rounds and a final group stage. The 21 best-ranked teams were given a bye to the group stage, while the next 26 teams began play in the second preliminary round, and four lowest ranked teams started at the first round. The three preliminary rounds were a series of playoffs, with the winners advancing. 51 nations entered the tournament (excluding initial hosts Morocco). It was the competitive debut of

South Sudan South Sudan (), officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the north by Sudan; on the east by Ethiopia; on the south by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya; and on the ...

Djibouti Djibouti, officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to the east. The country has an area ...

and

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

declined to enter.

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

would have automatically qualified as hosts; however, after their refusal to host, they were expelled from the tournament by the CAF.

was chosen as the new host, and despite having played in the qualifiers and been disqualified due to fielding an ineligible player, they qualified for the tournament automatically. The defending champions

failed to qualify for the tournament.

Qualified teams

The following sixteen teams qualified for the tournament. :

¹ Bold indicates champion for that year.

² ''Italic'' indicates host for that year.

Venues

The four Equatorial Guinean cities selected to host the tournament were

Malabo Malabo ( , ; formerly ) is the capital of Equatorial Guinea in the province of Bioko Norte. It is located on the north coast of the island of Bioko (, and as ''Fernando Pó'' by the Europeans). In 2018, the city had a population of approxim ...

, Bata,

Mongomo Mongomo is a town in the province of Wele-Nzas on mainland Equatorial Guinea, on the eastern border, roughly 1 km (0.62 mi) west of Gabon's Woleu-Ntem Province. The president of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, was bor ...

and

Ebibeyin Ebibeyin ( ) is a town in the northeastern corner of mainland Equatorial Guinea. It is the capital of the province of Kié-Ntem. It lies very close to the Equatorial Guinea-Gabon-Cameroon tripoint. It is the end point of three main transport rou ...

. Malabo and Bata were also host venues for the

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 (C ...

. Screening for Ebola was given to all spectators attending matches.

Format

Only the hosts got an automatic qualification spot, the other 15 teams qualified through qualification tournament. At the finals, the 16 teams were drawn into four groups of four teams each. The teams in each group played a single round robin. After the group stage, the top two teams from each group advanced to the quarterfinals. The quarterfinal winners advanced to the semifinals. The semifinal losers played in the third place match, while the semifinal winners played in the final.

Draw

The finals draw was held on 3 December 2014 in

. It was initially to be held on 26 November 2014 in

before the change of host country. The 16 teams were divided into four pots based on the CAF Ranking, with the hosts Equatorial Guinea placed in Pot 1 automatically. The ranking was computed using the teams' results in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers (weighted by 2), 2013 Africa Cup of Nations finals (weighted by 3) and qualifiers (weighted by 1), the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations finals (weighted by 2) and qualifiers (weighted by 0.5), the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations finals (weighted by 1), and the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Match officials

The following referees were chosen for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. ;Referees * Mehdi Abid Charef * Juste Ephrem Zio * Sidi Alioum *

Noumandiez Doué Noumandiez Desiré Doué (born 29 September 1970) is a football referee from Côte d'Ivoire. He became a FIFA referee in 2004. Doué has refereed in international tournaments including the 2010, 2012, and 2013 Africa Cup of Nations competitions. H ...

* Gehad Grisha * Bamlak Tessema Weyesa * Eric Otogo-Castane *

Bakary Gassama Bakary Papa Gassama (born 10 February 1979) is a Gambian football referee. He became a FIFA referee in 2007. He officiated at the 2012 Olympic tournament, in which he was the fourth official for the gold medal match between Mexico and Brazil. H ...

* Joseph Lamptey * Aboubacar Mario Bangoura * Hamada Nampiandraza *

Koman Coulibaly Koman Coulibaly (born 4 July 1970) is a Malian football referee. He has been a full international referee for FIFA since 1999 and officiated his first international match on 19 April 2000, between Mali and Burkina Faso. Coulibaly is one of Mali's ...

Ali Lemghaifry Ali Lemghaifry (born 1975) is a Mauritanian football referee. He was born in Nouadhibou (Dakhlet NDB), the second biggest city in Mauritania. He has a degree in accounting . Lemghaifry became a FIFA referee in 2005. He has officiated at the 2011 A ...

Rajindraparsad Seechurn Rajindraparsad Seechurn (born 3 June 1970) is a Mauritian football referee. He started his career in 1996 and reached the first grade for referees in 2001. He is an international referee and has taken charge of matches for the African Federatio ...

Bouchaïb El Ahrach Bouchaïb El Ahrach, born September 5, 1972, in Tetuan, is a Moroccan football referee. References 1972 births Living people Moroccan football referees {{morocco-footy-bio-stub ...

Malang Diedhiou Malang Diedhiou (born 30 April 1973) is a retired association football, international football referee (association football), referee from Senegal. He has refereed matches in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, the Football at the 2016 Summer Olymp ...

Bernard Camille Bernard Camille (born 6 October 1975) is a Seychellois association football referee who is a listed international referee for FIFA since 2011. He was one of the referees for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations The 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, ...

Victor Gomes Victor Miguel de Freitas Gomes (born 15 December 1982) is a retired South African football referee. He is the current chairman of the SAFA Referees Committee. A PSL referee since 2008, Gomes was voted PSL Referee of the Season in 2012–13 an ...

* Med Said Kordi *

Janny Sikazwe Janny Sikazwe (born 1979) is a former Zambian international football referee. He got his big break in 2008 at COSAFA U-20 Challenge Cup in South Africa when he was called to replace another referee who had failed a fitness test. On 7 January ...

;Assistant referees * Albdelhak Etchiali * Jerson Emiliano Dos Santos * Jean-Claude Birumushahu * Oamogetse Godisamang * Evarist Menkouande * Yéo Songuifolo * Hassan Egueh Yacin * Tahssen Abo El Sadat Bedyer * Angesom Ogbamariam * Malik Alidu Salifu * Aboubacar Doumbouya * Marwa Range * Redouane Achik * Yahaya Mahamadou * Peter Edibe * Theogene Ndagijimana * Djibril Camara * El Hadji Malick Samba * Zakhele Siwela * Ali Waleed Ahmed * Anouar Hmila

Squads

Each team could register a squad of 23 players.

Group stage

The group winners and runners-up advance to the quarter-finals. ;Tiebreakers The teams are ranked according to

points A point is a small dot or the sharp tip of something. Point or points may refer to: Mathematics * Point (geometry), an entity that has a location in space or on a plane, but has no extent; more generally, an element of some abstract topologica ...

(3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers are applied in the following order: # Number of points obtained in games between the teams concerned; #

Goal difference Goal difference, goal differential or points difference is a form of tiebreaker used to rank sport teams which finish on equal points in a league competition. Either "goal difference" or "points difference" is used, depending on whether matches ar ...

in games between the teams concerned; # Goals scored in games between the teams concerned; # If, after applying criteria 1 to 3 to teams concerned, two or three teams still have an equal ranking, criteria 1 to 3 are reapplied exclusively to the matches between these teams in question to determine their final rankings. If this procedure does not lead to a decision, criteria 5 to 7 will apply; # Goal difference in all games; # Goals scored in all games; # Drawing of lots.

Group A

---- ----

Group B

---- ----

Group C

---- ----

Group D

---- ----

Knockout stage

In the knockout stages, if a match is level at the end of normal playing time,

shall be played (two periods of 15 minutes each) and followed, if necessary, by

kicks from the penalty mark In association football, a penalty shoot-out (previously known as kicks from the penalty mark) is a tie-breaking method to determine which team is awarded victory in a match that cannot end in a draw, when the score is tied after the normal tim ...

to determine the winner, except for the play-off for third place where no extra time shall be played. On 27 January 2015, the CAF announced that they had relocated the venues of two of the quarter-finals: * The venue of quarter-final 2 is relocated from Estadio de Ebibeyin,

Estadio de Bata Estadio de Bata is a multi-use stadium in Bata, Equatorial Guinea. The stadium was constructed by the Chinese contractor Covec and completed in 2007 with a capacity of 22,000 people in a single tier pre-cast concrete structure. It was a venu ...

, Bata. * The venue of quarter-final 3 is relocated from

Estadio de Mongomo The Estadio de Mongomo is a multi-sports stadium in Mongomo, Equatorial Guinea. It was one of the venues for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations The 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, known as the Orange Africa Cup of Nations, Equatorial Guinea 2015 ...

Estadio de Malabo Estadio de Malabo is a multi-purpose stadium in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, opened in 2007 and currently used mostly for football matches. With a seating capacity of about 15,250, it serves as the home ground of the Equatorial Guinea national foo ...

. The kick-off time of quarter-finals 2 and 4 are also changed from 20:00 to 20:30 local time.

Bracket

Quarter-finals

---- ---- ----

Semi-finals

----

Third place play-off

Final

Statistics

Goalscorers

;3 goals *

Thievy Bifouma Thievy Guivane Bifouma Koulossa (born 13 May 1992) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Persian Gulf Pro League club Persepolis. He spent most of his early career in Spain, totalling 68 La Liga games and eight goals for Esp ...

Dieumerci Mbokani Dieudonné "Dieumerci" Mbokani Bezua (born 22 November 1985) is a Congolese professional association football, footballer who plays as a striker (association football), striker. He was captain of the DR Congo national football team. He has prev ...

Javier Balboa Javier Ángel Balboa Osa (born 13 May 1985) is a former professional footballer who played as a winger, most notably for Real Madrid and Benfica. After emerging at Real Madrid's youth system, he could never establish himself in its first ...

André Ayew André Morgan Rami Ayew (; born 17 December 1989), also known as Dede Ayew in Ghana, is a professional footballer who plays as a winger or forward for club Le Havre and the Ghana national team, of which he is the captain. Ayew is the second- ...

Ahmed Akaïchi Ahmed Akaïchi (; born 23 February 1989) is a Tunisian professional footballer who plays as a striker. Club career Akaïchi was born in Bizerte, Tunisia. Prior to the 2009–10 season, he played up front for Étoile du Sahel. On 22 August 2009 ...

;2 goals * Jeremy Bokila *

Christian Atsu Christian Atsu Twasam (10 January 1992 – 6 February 2023) was a Ghanaian professional Association football, footballer who primarily played as a Midfielder#Winger, winger, although he was deployed as an midfielder#Attacking midfielder, attacki ...

Wilfried Bony Wilfried Guemiand Bony (born 10 December 1988) is an Ivorian former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Striker (association football), striker. Having begun his career at Issia Wazy, Bony moved to AC Sparta Prague, Spa ...

Gervinho Gervais Yao Kouassi (born 27 May 1987), known as Gervinho, is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a forward. Gervinho began his career at ASEC Abidjan and Toumodi, before moving to Belgium in 2004 to play for Beveren. Between 2007 ...

Max Gradel Max-Alain Gradel (born 30 November 1987) is an Ivorian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a winger (association football), winger. Gradel received his first call-up to the Ivory Coast national team in November 2010. He ma ...

;1 goal *

Nabil Bentaleb Nabil Bentaleb (; born 24 November 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for club Lille. Born in France, he plays for the Algeria national team. Bentaleb made his senior international debut in March 2014 and ha ...

Faouzi Ghoulam Faouzi Ghoulam ( (); born 1 February 1991) is a professional Association football, footballer who plays as a left-back. Born in France, Ghoulam is a former Algeria international, scoring five goals in 37 appearances for Algeria national footbal ...

Riyad Mahrez Riyad Karim Mahrez (born 21 February 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a right winger for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli and captains the Algeria national team. He is regarded as one of the best African players of all time. Ma ...

Islam Slimani Islam Slimani (; born 18 June 1988) is an Algerian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a striker (association football), striker for Belgian Pro League club K.V.C. Westerlo, Westerlo on loan from CR Belouizdad in the Alge ...

Hillal Soudani El Arabi Hilal Soudani (; born 25 November 1987) is an Algerian professional association football, footballer who plays as a Winger (association football), winger for Slovenian PrvaLiga club NK Maribor, Maribor. Soudani made his international d ...

* Aristide Bancé *

Benjamin Moukandjo Benjamin Moukandjo Bilé (born 12 November 1988) is a Cameroonian former professional footballer who plays as a forward. Club career Moukandjo began his career in hometown's Kadji Sports Academy, joining the club's youth setup in 1998, aged ...

Ambroise Oyongo Ambroise Oyongo Bitolo (born 22 June 1991) is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Championnat National club Paris 13 Atletico. Club career Coton Sport Ambroise Oyongo began his career with Moussango FC of Yaoun ...

* Héldon *

Férébory Doré Férébory Doré (born 21 January 1989) is a Congolese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Maltese club Mosta. Between 2010 and 2017, he made 37 appearances scoring 10 goals for the Congo national team. Club career Early years ...

Fabrice Ondama Fabrice N'Guessi Ondama (born 27 February 1988) is a Congolese former professional footballer who played as a winger. Club career Ondama was born in Ouenzé, Republic of the Congo. On 2 January 2019, Ondama joined Raja Beni Mellal in Morocco. ...

* Prince Oniangue *

Yannick Bolasie Yannick Bolasie (born 24 May 1989) is a professional association football, footballer who plays as a winger (association football), winger for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, Cruzeiro. He has played in Football in En ...

* Joël Kimwaki *

Emilio Nsue Emilio Nsue López (born 30 September 1989) is a professional footballer who plays for Primera Federación club Intercity. Born in Spain, he is the captain and all-time leading scorer of the Equatorial Guinea national team. A versatile playe ...

* Ibán Edú *

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Pierre-Emerick Emiliano François Aubameyang (born 18 June 1989) is a professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for Saudi Pro League club Al Qadsiah FC, Al-Qadsiah and Captain (associat ...

Malick Evouna Malick Evouna (born 28 November 1992) is a Gabonese professional footballer who plays as a striker. Career After scoring twelve goals in 17 matches in 2012–13 season for CF Mounana, Evouna joined Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca scoring ei ...

* Kwesi Appiah *

Jordan Ayew Jordan Pierre Ayew (born 11 September 1991) is a Ghanaian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Winger (association football), winger or Forward (association football), forward for club Leicester City F.C., Leicester Cit ...

John Boye John Boye (born 23 April 1987) is a Ghanaian former professional footballer who played as a defender. Club career Early career Born in Accra, Boye began his career with Schwepps' youth academy, where he played alongside Mohammed Iddi, he the ...

Asamoah Gyan Asamoah Gyan ( ; born 22 November 1985) is a Ghanaian former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Striker (association football), striker. He is a former Captain (association football), captain of the Ghana national foo ...

* Mubarak Wakaso * Kévin Constant *

Ibrahima Traoré Ibrahima Traoré (born 21 April 1988) is a former professional footballer who played as a left winger. Born in France, he represented Guinea internationally. Coming through the youth system, Traoré began his senior career with French amateur ...

* Mohamed Yattara *

Seydou Doumbia Seydou Doumbia (; born 31 December 1987) is an Ivorian former professional footballer who played as a forward. After beginning his career in the Ivory Coast and Japan, he arrived in Europe in 2008 to play for Swiss club Young Boys, where he wa ...

Wilfried Kanon Serge Wilfried Kanon (born 6 July 1993) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays mainly as a centre-back for Kuwait Premier League club Al-Jahra and the Ivory Coast national team. Club career Early career Born in Taabo, Ivory Coast, K ...

Yaya Touré Gnégnéri Yaya Touré (born 13 May 1983) is an Ivorian professional football coach and former player who played as a midfielder. He is currently an assistant coach for the Saudi Arabia national team. Touré aspired to be a striker during h ...

Bakary Sako Bakary Sako (born 26 April 1988) is a professional Association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder for French Championnat National 2 club Football Club 93 Bobigny-Bagnolet-Gagny, FC 93. He has previously played for English League club ...

Modibo Maïga Modibo Maïga (born 3 September 1987) is a Malian professional association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker. A full international for Mali since 2007, he was part of their squads at the four Africa Cup ...

Sambou Yatabaré Sambou Yatabaré (born 2 March 1989) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Championnat National 3 club L'Aumône. Born in France, he represents Mali at international level. Club career Yatabaré has played for Caen, Monaco ...

Mame Biram Diouf Mame Biram Diouf (born 16 December 1987) is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a striker for Turkish TFF First League club Ankara Keçiörengücü. Diouf started his career at Diaraf before moving to Molde in 2007. In his first ...

Kara Mbodj Serigne Modou Kara Mbodji (born 22 November 1989), commonly known as Kara or Kara Mbodji, is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays for the Senegal national team. He can be deployed as a defender, defensive midfielder or in the central m ...

Moussa Sow Moussa Sow (born 19 January 1986) is a former professional association football, footballer who played as a forward (association football), forward. Born in France, he represented Senegal national football team, Senegal at international level, s ...

* Oupa Manyisa * Mandla Masango * Thuso Phala * Yassine Chikhaoui * Mohamed Ali Moncer *

Emmanuel Mayuka Emmanuel Mayuka (born 21 November 1990) is a Zambian professional footballer who plays as a striker for the NAPSA Stars and the Zambia national team. He was the top scorer of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. Club career Born in Kabwe, Centra ...

Given Singuluma Given Singuluma (born 19 July 1986) is a Zambian former professional association football, footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Club career Singuluma was born in Lusaka Province, Rufunsa. He started his career at the Lusaka-based N ...

;1 own goal *

Thulani Hlatshwayo Thulani Tyson Hlatshwayo (born 18 December 1989) is a South African professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Supersport United. Career Ajax Cape Town Hlatshwayo was born in Soweto, Gauteng. He made his professional debut for Aj ...

(against Algeria)

Awards

;

Pepsi Pepsi is a Carbonated water, carbonated soft drink with a cola flavor, manufactured by PepsiCo which serves as its flagship product. In 2023, Pepsi was the second most valuable soft drink brand worldwide behind Coca-Cola; the two share a long ...

Highest Scorer *

;

Man of the Competition *

;Best Goalkeeper *

Sylvain Gbohouo Guelassiognon Sylvain Gbohouo (born 29 October 1988) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Africa Sports. International career Gbohouo made his debut for the Ivory Coast national team on 6 July 2013, in a 4–1 l ...

;

Nissan is a Japanese multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the ''Nissan'' and ''Infiniti'' brands, and formerly the ''Datsun'' brand, with in-house ...

Goal of the tournament *

vs Guinea (3rd goal of the match) ;

Samsung Samsung Group (; stylised as SΛMSUNG) is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational manufacturing Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in the Samsung Town office complex in Seoul. The group consists of numerous a ...

Fair Player of the Tournament * Kwesi Appiah ;Fair Play of the tournament: ;CAF Team of the Tournament

Tournament rankings

, - , colspan="11", Eliminated in the quarter-finals , - , - , colspan="11", Eliminated in the group stage , -

Discipline

In the final tournament, a player was suspended for the subsequent match in the competition for either getting red card or accumulating two yellow cards in two different matches. The disciplinary panel has the ability to increase the automatic one match ban for a red card (e.g. for violent conduct). Single yellow card cautions were erased at the conclusion of the group stage, and were not carried over to the knockout stage. The following players were or are suspended during the final tournament – for one or more games – as a result of red cards or yellow card accumulations:

Marketing

Sponsorship

The 2015 Africa Cup of Nations has one title sponsor and seven official sponsors as shown below.

Match ball

The new Adidas Africa Cup Ball is called Adidas Marhaba (meaning ''Welcome'', in Arabic). The Africa Cup 2015 Ball was unveiled 26 November 2014 following the controversy about the host situation for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.

Mascot

The official mascot of the tournament was "Chuku Chuku", a

porcupine Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp Spine (zoology), spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two Family (biology), families of animals: the Old World porcupines of the family Hystricidae, and the New ...

Opening ceremony

The opening ceremony of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations took place on 17 January, at the

, before the opening match of the tournament between hosts Equatorial Guinea and Congo.

Controversies

Drawing of lots

Guinea and Mali finished with equal records in Group D, thus the drawing of lots was required to choose who would advance into the quarter-finals. Prior to the draw, Mali coach Henri Kasperczak said that the tournament "must find a more sporting way o decide who advances fairer...This does not correspond to a sporting spirit". His Guinean counterpart Michel Dussuyer said that neither team deserved to be eliminated in that manner. Guinea won the draw, causing a complaint from Boubacar Diarra, president of the Malian FA. Issa Haytou, president of CAF, defended the process as the only option. The CAF Disciplinary Committee's South African President Raymond Hack stated that CAF's Member Associations had chosen the option of picking lots ahead of penalties six months prior. He also said that the "Fair Play isciplinarytable was to be used but the countries object to that and they said the table must be taken out of the rules. Had the Fair play table been used, Guinea would have qualified ahead of Mali with a better disciplinary record."

Tunisia vs. Equatorial Guinea refereeing

Wadie Jary, the president of the

Tunisian Football Federation The Tunisian Football Federation (, ) is the governing body of association football, football in Tunisia. It established on 29 March 1957. It became a member in the FIFA in 1960, and in the same year it also became a member of Confederation of Af ...

, claimed that there was a bias against Tunisia following their controversial quarter-final defeat to Equatorial Guinea on 31 January 2015. He was banned from CAF competitions and activities.

, the Mauritian referee who gave a penalty to Equatorial Guinea in that match, was banned from officiating for six months and removed from CAF's elite register of referees. The Tunisian FA was fined $50,000 for confronting the referee during the match, in addition to damage to changing room facilities, while Equatorial Guinea was fined $5,000 for inadequate security at the stadium.

Equatorial Guinea vs. Ghana crowd incidents

During the semi-final fixture between host nation of Equatorial Guinea and Ghana several incidents occurred between the home fans, visiting fans and police. At the half-time break with Ghana leading the game 2–0, the Ghanaian players were protected from hostile Equatoguinean fans by police using plastic shields. During the 82nd minute in the second half, fans rushed onto the pitch and missiles were thrown at the Ghanaian substitute players. The players moved onto the pitch to escape the missiles. The travelling Ghanaian fans were also targets and took shelter near the goal of the pitch, out of the range of those throwing objects. A helicopter was dispatched and used to disperse spectators out of the stadium by hovering at a low height above them. The Ghanaian FA described the incident as being similar to a "war zone". Equatorial Guinea's Police force had fired

smoke bombs A smoke bomb is a Fireworks, firework designed to produce a large amount of smoke upon ignition. History Early Japanese history saw the use of a rudimentary form of the smoke bomb. Explosive, Explosives were common in Japan during the Mongol i ...

into the stands in an attempt to bring order. The game was stopped for about 30 minutes, before recommencing for a few minutes. CAF imposed a US$100k fine on the

Equatoguinean Football Federation The Equatoguinean Football Federation (; FEGUIFUT) is the governing body of football in Equatorial Guinea. It was founded in 1975, and became affiliated with FIFA and CAF in 1986. The federation organizes the national football league and the nati ...

and were informed an 'official match' in Equatorial Guinea must be held 'behind closed doors' after the tournament's completion. DR Congo defender

Gabriel Zakuani Gabriel Abdala Zakuani (born 31 May 1986) is a Congolese retired professional footballer who played as a defender. He is now a broadcaster and assistant manager of the DR Congo under-20 team. Zakuani began his career with Leyton Orient, and wa ...

stated that he would rather his team forfeit the third-place playoff instead of play in front of Equatorial Guinea's fans, an opinion which was not shared by his manager

Florent Ibengé Jean-Florent Ikwange Ibengé (born 4 December 1961) is a Congolese football coach and former player who manages Sudanese club Al-Hilal. Early and personal life He was born in Léopoldville on 4 December 1961. Ibengé played as a centre-back fo ...

References

External links

Orange Africa Cup Of Nations, Equatorial Guinea 2015
CAFonline.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Africa Cup Of Nations 2015

Nations A nation is a type of social organization where a collective identity, a national identity, has emerged from a combination of shared features across a given population, such as language, history, ethnicity, culture, territory, or societ ...

2015 in Equatoguinean sport

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

International association football competitions hosted by Equatorial Guinea January 2015 sports events in Africa February 2015 sports events in Africa