The inaugural 24-team AFCON – the 32nd Africa Cup of Nations, came to an end on Friday July 19 with the Desert Foxes of Algeria defeating the Teranga Lions of Senegal 1-0 in the final to win the competition for the second time following their 1990 feat as the host nation, Completesports.com reports.
With the final match won and lost, it is easy for the millions of followers of the competition to tell who finished in the top four. Obviously, they are the champions Algeria (1), Senegal (2), Nigeria and Tunisia (4), capturing the teams that reached the semifinals of the tournament.
But it is also important to know who made the top 5, top 10, etc, of the historic 24-team AFCON. The detailed ranking as done by CAF presents an interesting findings, which will quite vital as both fans and pundits talk about AFCON 2021 to be hosted by Cameroon.
Where are the defending champions Cameroon in the final classification table? The Indomitable Lions could not defend their title beyond the Round of 16. They met their archrivals Nigeria who dispatched them after a thrilling matchup.
Remarkably, AFCON finals debutants, Madagascar, finished in the 6th position behind fifth-placed team, Cote d’Ivoire. The ‘tiny’ Indian Ocean island nation ruffled some feathers in Egypt where they won Group B that also comprised Nigeria, Guinea and fellow newcomers Burundi. The Barea reached the quarterfinals where they lost to the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia.
The Taifa Stars of Tanzania bring up the rear of the 24-team AFCON 2019. And is it now any surprise? They played in a Group C that had eventual finalists, Algeria and Senegal, as well as Kenya. Tanzania lost all their three group games; 2-0 to Senegal, 3-2 to Kenya and 3-0 to Algeria.
AFC0N 2019 Ranking:
1st: Algeria (Gold medal)
2nd: Senegal (Silver medal)
3rd: Nigeria (Bronze medal)
4th: Tunisia
5th: Ivory Coast
6th: Madagascar
7th: Africa South
8th: Benin
9th: Morocco
10th: Egypt
11th: Mali
12th: Ghana
13th: Cameroon
14th: Democratic Republic of Congo
15th: Uganda
16th: Guinea
17th: Kenya
18th: Angola
19th: Mauritania
20th: Guinea-Bissau
21st: Zimbabwe
22nd : Burundi
23rd: Namibia
24th: Tanzania
By Nnamdi Ezekute
5 Comments
Madagascar and Benin Republic did great to reach the last 8 of AFCON 2019. They shown they shouldn’t be underestimated as they eventually lost to Tunisia and Senegal respectively while Ivory Coast and South Africa respectfully lost to Algeria and Nigeria.
You are very right here and we that we are already giants why have we not also progressed and start winning the world cup since smaller countries have progressed to the point that we always say no one should be underrated? I am waiting to also see us winning Brazil Argentina Croatia Portugal by that time i will accept this theory or progress!
Others have progressed even if we haven’t,just like Tanzania and Namibia clearly haven’t progressed..
The Croatia you mentioned,since when have they been among the elite of world football and yet you are mentioning them alongside Brazil and co..
That is great well said analysis and rating tomb up caf because countries were rated according to their performance weldone super eagle proudly Nigeria
The baddest beast in the African jungle is the fox….the Fennec fox. Laughable, if you consider the animal itself. Nothing funny though about the Algerian team. They played more like tigers than foxes. Pacy and tricky going forward, robust in the tackle, and resilient in defense. A super performance from a super team. Funny thing is, Nigeria had the KRYPTONITE for this super team. Unfortunately, this kryptonite had retired. His name? Victor Moses. His playing style was the stuff of nightmares for the Algerians. Look at what he did to them in the world cup qualifiers. I have no doubt in my mind that Victor Moses’ presence in the semifinal game would have forced the Algerians to approach the game differently, likely with a lot more caution. Of course, no human’s presence guarantees victory. However, we would have had a better chance of beating Algeria if we had a fit, motivated Victor Moses in the match day line up. If wishes were horses. Victor Moses retired from the Super Eagles prematurely, and just like in Ighalo’s case, it is believed that he retired because of the barrage of insults and curses directed at his person and his family after the world cup. So, once again, we grab the old shot gun and blast a gaping hole in our foot! Appreciating players efforts is not only polite and respectful, it KEEPS THEM AVAILABLE FOR USE! Winning football matches nowadays is hard enough. Let’s not make it harder by discouraging our best legs into early retirement.