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.
Qualified teams
For the first time, Ethiopia did not compete. The 8 qualified teams are:
Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearances in tournament[a] |
---|---|---|---|
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Hosts | 1 (1970) | |
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Holders | 16 February 1970 | 4 (1957, 1959, 1963, 1970) |
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2nd round winners | 16 April 1971 | 0 (debut) |
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2nd round winners | 20 June 1971 | 0 (debut) |
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2nd round winners | 27 June 1971 | 0 (debut) |
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2nd round winners | 18 July 1971 | 1 (1968) |
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2nd round winners | 18 July 1971 | 0 (debut) |
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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 | |
---|---|
Stade Omnisports | |
Capacity: 38,720 | |
Douala | |
Stade de la Réunification | |
Capacity: 30,000 | |
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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 | ![]() |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 5 | Advance to knockout stage |
2 | ![]() |
3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 | |
3 | ![]() |
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 2 | |
4 | ![]() |
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 2 |
Group B
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 4 | Advance to knockout stage |
2 | ![]() |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 | |
3 | ![]() |
3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
4 | ![]() |
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 2 |
Zaire ![]() | 1–1 | ![]() |
---|---|---|
Mayanga ![]() |
Hasabu El-Sagheer ![]() |
Morocco ![]() | 1–1 | ![]() |
---|---|---|
Faras ![]() |
Abdel-Nadief ![]() |
Congo ![]() | 4–2 | ![]() |
---|---|---|
M'Bono ![]() M'Pelé ![]() Bahamboula ![]() |
Abdel Wahab ![]() Wahba ![]() |
Knockout stage
Semi-finals | Final | |||||
2 March – Yaoundé | ||||||
![]() | 0 | |||||
5 March – Yaoundé | ||||||
![]() | 1 | |||||
![]() | 3 | |||||
2 March – Douala | ||||||
![]() | 2 | |||||
![]() | 3 | |||||
![]() | 4 | |||||
Third place | ||||||
4 March – Yaoundé | ||||||
![]() | 5 | |||||
![]() | 2 |
Semifinals
Zaire ![]() | 3–4 (a.e.t.) | ![]() |
---|---|---|
N'Tumba ![]() Etepé ![]() Ngassebe ![]() |
A. Traoré ![]() F. Keita ![]() B. Touré ![]() |
Third place match
Cameroon ![]() | 5–2 | ![]() |
---|---|---|
Akono ![]() N'Dongo ![]() Owona ![]() Mouthé ![]() N'Doga ![]() |
Etepé ![]() Mayanga ![]() |
Final
Goalscorers
There were 53 goals scored in 16 matches, for an average of 3.31 goals per match.
5 goals
4 goals
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 Birindi 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:[1]
Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
---|---|---|---|
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References
- ^ "African Nations Cup 1972 - Final Tournament Details". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 10 October 2023.