U20 AFCON: List of all the winners to date

Following the conclusion of the 2021 Under-20 African Nations Cup (AFCON), won on Saturday by Ghana, here is the list of all the winners since the inception of the competition in 1979.

1. Nigeria 7 (1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 2005, 2011, 2015)
2 Ghana 4 (1993, 1999, 2009, 2021)
3 Egypt 4 (1981, 1991, 2003, 2013)
4 Cameroon 1 (1995)
5 Mali 1 (2019)
6 Zambia 1 (2017)
7 Algeria 1 (1979)
8 Morocco 1 (1997)
9 Angola 1 (2001)
10 Congo 1 (2007)

The Total U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, previously known as the African Youth Championship or the African U-20 Championship, is the main international youth football competition for CAF nations, and is competed for by under 20-year-olds.

It is held every two years with the top 4 teams qualifying for the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

From 1979 until 1989, the African representatives were determined purely on a home and away qualifying basis without a final tournament, with the African champions determined through the same qualification.

Since 1991 there has been a qualifying stage followed by a final tournament played by 8 teams in a chosen country.

On 6 August, 2015, the CAF Executive Committee decided to change the name of the tournament from the African Youth Championship to the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, similar to the senior’s version, Africa Cup of Nations.

In July 2016, Total secured an eight-year sponsorship package from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to support 10 of its principal competitions, including the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations Champions League, renamed Total U-20 Africa Cup of Nations.