CAF African Cup of Nations

The African Cup of Nations, also referred to as the African Nations Cup (ANC) or Cup of African Nations (CAN) is the main continental football competition for National Teams 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 in even numbered years (2008, 2010, etc.). The number of participants in the final tournament reached 16 in 1998, and since then, the format has been unchanged, with the 16 teams being drawn into four groups of four teams each, with the top two teams of each group advancing to a "knock-out" stage.