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The 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, known as the Orange 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 referred to as AFCON (french: Coupe d'Afrique des Nations, sometimes referred to as CAN, or TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons), and sometimes as African Cup of Nations, is the main internat ...
, the international men's
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...
championship of Africa. It was organized by the
Confederation of African Football The Confederation of African Football, or CAF for short (french: link=yes, Confédération Africaine de Football, ar, link=yes, الاتحاد الأفريقي لكرة القدم, al-Ittiḥād al-Afrīqī li-Kurat al-Qadam), is the administ ...
(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 Western 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, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre i ...
won the tournament for their second Africa Cup of Nations title, defeating
Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and Tog ...
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 Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
finished goalless following
extra time Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport 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 ...
. The
DR Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
came third and the hosts
Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea ( es, Guinea Ecuatorial; french: Guinée équatoriale; pt, Guiné Equatorial), officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea ( es, link=no, República de Guinea Ecuatorial, french: link=no, République de Guinée équatoria ...
fourth, while defending champions
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
did not qualify.


Host selection

Bids: CAF received 3 bids before 30 September 2010, the deadline, to host either the 2015 or 2017 Africa Cup of Nations 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 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 , ; ar, الرِّبَاط, er-Ribât; ber, ⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ, ṛṛbaṭ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan populatio ...
,
Marrakesh Marrakesh or Marrakech ( or ; ar, مراكش, murrākuš, ; ber, ⵎⵕⵕⴰⴽⵛ, translit=mṛṛakc}) is the fourth largest city in the Kingdom of Morocco. It is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakes ...
,
Agadir Agadir ( ar, أݣادير, ʾagādīr; shi, ⴰⴳⴰⴷⵉⵔ) is a major city in Morocco, on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean near the foot of the Atlas Mountains, just north of the point where the Souss River flows into the ocean, and south ...
and
Tangier Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the capi ...
, as announced by the CAF Executive Committee on 23 September 2013.
Casablanca Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...
would serve as an alternative venue.


Moroccan withdrawal

In October 2014, the government of Morocco requested a postponement of the tournament due to the
Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa The 2013–2016 epidemic of Ebola virus disease, centered in Western 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 ...
. 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 ( ar, الجامعة الملكية المغربية لكرة القدم), (french: Fédérarion Royale marocaine de football) 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 specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level o ...
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; french: Tribunal arbitral du sport, ''TAS'') is an international body established in 1984 to settle disputes related to sport through arbitration. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland and its ...
, meaning Morocco may enter the tournaments. Egypt, Ghana, South Africa and Sudan all declined to take over as hosts.
Angola , national_anthem = "Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordinat ...
, 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 ( pt, Federação Angolana de Futebol, 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 ...
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 (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of th ...
.
Djibouti Djibouti, ar, جيبوتي ', french: link=no, Djibouti, so, Jabuuti 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 ...
and
Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constitut ...
declined to enter.
Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to A ...
would have automatically qualified as hosts; however, after their refusal to host, they were expelled from the tournament by the CAF.
Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea ( es, Guinea Ecuatorial; french: Guinée équatoriale; pt, Guiné Equatorial), officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea ( es, link=no, República de Guinea Ecuatorial, french: link=no, République de Guinée équatoria ...
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
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
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 Santa Isabel) is the capital of Equatorial Guinea and the province of Bioko Norte. It is located on the north coast of the island of Bioko, ( bvb, Etulá, and as ''Fernando Pó'' by the Europeans). In 2018, the city had a ...
, 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. Religion Its cathedral basilica of the Immaculate Conception is the ep ...
and
Ebebiyín 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 routes ...
. 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 ...
. 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
Malabo Malabo ( , ; formerly Santa Isabel) is the capital of Equatorial Guinea and the province of Bioko Norte. It is located on the north coast of the island of Bioko, ( bvb, Etulá, and as ''Fernando Pó'' by the Europeans). In 2018, the city had a ...
. It was initially to be held on 26 November 2014 in
Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ar, الرِّبَاط, er-Ribât; ber, ⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ, ṛṛbaṭ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan populatio ...
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 Mehdi Abid Charef (born 14 December 1980 in Constantine) is an Algerian association football referee. He also participated at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile and the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup in India International Matches * 2015 Africa ...
* Juste Ephrem Zio *
Sidi Alioum Sidi Alioum (born 17 July 1982) is a Cameroonian football referee. He has officiated at five editions of the Africa Cup of Nations and was the referee for the 2019 final. Alioum has also officiated at two editions of the FIFA Club World Cup, t ...
*
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 Eric Otogo-Castane (born April 13, 1976) is a Gabonese association football referee. He was one of the referees for the Africa Cup of Nations The Africa Cup of Nations referred to as AFCON (french: Coupe d'Afrique des Nations, sometim ...
*
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. ...
*
Joseph Lamptey Joseph Lamptey (born 10 September 1974) is a former Ghanaian association football referee. He was banned for life for match fixing. Lamptey was born in Accra. He refereed at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2016 Olympics. FIFA banned La ...
* Aboubacar Mario Bangoura *
Hamada Nampiandraza Hamada Nampiandraza (born 8 July 1984) is a Malagasy association football referee. He was one of the referees for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, 2017 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup The 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup was ...
*
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 *
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 *
Malang Diedhiou Malang Diedhiou (born 30 April 1973) is a retired international football referee from Senegal. He has refereed matches in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, the 2016 Summer Olympics and the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. He was also a video assistan ...
* Bernard Camille *
Victor Gomes Victor Miguel de Freitas Gomes (born 15 December 1982) is a South African football referee. A PSL referee since 2008, Gomes was voted PSL Referee of the Season in 2012–13 and 2017–18 and has been an international referee since 2011. In 2 ...
*
Med Said Kordi Mohamed Said Kordi (born 1975) is a Tunisian football referee. Kordi became a FIFA referee in 2011. He has served as a referee at the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, beginning with the preliminary-round match between Ethiopia and Somalia ...
*
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 Point or points may refer to: Places * Point, Lewis, a peninsula in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland * Point, Texas, a city in Rains County, Texas, United States * Point, the NE tip and a ferry terminal of Lismore, Inner Hebrides, Scotland * Points ...
(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 a ...
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

Guinea and Mali finished level on the second spot after the group stage, making the first drawing of lots needed at the tournament since 1988. Unlike some other international tournaments, 2015 Africa Cup of Nations tournament regulations would not use fair-play criteria or 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 teams met on the last match day to determine the final group ranking. Both head coaches have openly criticised the regulations.


Knockout stage

In the knockout stages, if a match is level at the end of normal playing time,
extra time Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport 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 ...
shall be played (two periods of 15 minutes each) and followed, if necessary, by
kicks from the penalty mark A penalty shoot-out (officially kicks from the penalty mark) is a tie-breaking method in association football to determine which team is awarded victory in a match that cannot end in a draw, when the score is tied after the normal time as well ...
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
Nuevo Estadio de Ebebiyín The Estadio de Ebibeyin is the home stadium of Akonangui FC in Ebibeyin, Equatorial Guinea. In October 2014, the stadium hosted the Copa de la Primera Dama final. In November 2014, it was announced the stadium would be a venue of the 2015 Africa ...
,
Ebebiyín 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 routes ...
to
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. In November 2014, it was announced the stadium will be a venue for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations The 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, known as the Orange Africa Cup ...
,
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. Religion Its cathedral basilica of the Immaculate Conception is the ep ...
to
Nuevo Estadio de Malabo Estadio de Malabo is a multi-purpose stadium in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. It is currently used mostly for football matches. Overview The stadium holds 15,250 and opened in 2007. It is currently the home ground of the Equatorial Guinea nationa ...
,
Malabo Malabo ( , ; formerly Santa Isabel) is the capital of Equatorial Guinea and the province of Bioko Norte. It is located on the north coast of the island of Bioko, ( bvb, Etulá, and as ''Fernando Pó'' by the Europeans). In 2018, the city had a ...
. The kick-off time of quarter-finals 2 and 4 are also changed from 20:00 to 20:30 local time. Scores after
extra time Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport 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 ...
are indicated by (a.e.t.), and
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 ...
are indicated by (pen.). All times local, WAT (
UTC+1 UTC+01:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +01:00. In ISO 8601, the associated time would be written as 2019-02-07T23:28:34+01:00. This time is used in: *Central European Time *West Africa Time *Western European Summer Time **B ...
).


Quarter-finals

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


Semi-finals

----


Third place play-off

Note: no extra-time was played


Final


Statistics


Goalscorers

;3 goals * Thievy Bifouma *
Dieumerci Mbokani Dieudonné "Dieumerci" Mbokani Bezua (born 22 November 1985) is a Congolese professional footballer who plays as a striker for Beveren. He is captain of the DR Congo national football team. He has previously played for TP Mazembe, Anderlecht, V ...
*
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 tea ...
*
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 for Qatar Stars League club Al Sadd and captain of the Ghana national team. He is the second-born son of t ...
*
Ahmed Akaïchi Ahmed Akaïchi ( ar, أحمد العكايشي; 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 Étoi ...
;2 goals *
Jeremy Bokila Jeremy Loteteka Bokila (born 14 November 1988) is a Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congolese professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), forward for Willem II (football club), Willem II. He for ...
*
Christian Atsu Christian Atsu Twasam (10 January 1992 – ) was a Ghanaian professional footballer who primarily played as a winger, although he was also deployed as an attacking midfielder or left back. Atsu began his career with Porto, also spending a seas ...
* Wilfried Bony *
Gervinho Gervais Yao Kouassi (born 27 May 1987), known as Gervinho, is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Greek Super League club Aris and the Ivory Coast national team. Gervinho began his career at ASEC Abidjan and Toumod ...
*
Max Gradel Max-Alain Gradel (born 30 November 1987) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Turkish club Sivasspor and the Ivory Coast national team. Gradel received his first call-up to the Ivory Coast national team i ...
;1 goal * Nabil Bentaleb *
Faouzi Ghoulam Faouzi Ghoulam ( ar, فوزي غلام (); born 1 February 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a left-back for club Angers. Born in France, Ghoulam is a former Algeria international, scoring five goals in 37 appearances for the na ...
*
Riyad Mahrez Riyad Karim Mahrez ( ar, رياض كريم محرز, Riyāḍ Karīm Maḥraz; born 21 February 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for club Manchester City and captains the Algeria national team. Mahrez began his career ...
* Islam Slimani *
Hillal Soudani El Arabi Hilal Soudani ( ar, العربي هلال سوداني; born 25 November 1987) is an Algerian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Damac and the Algeria national team. Soudani made his international debut in 2010, and ...
*
Aristide Bancé Aristide Bancé (born 19 September 1984) is a Burkinabé former professional footballer who played as a striker. He started his European career at Lokeren, scoring 27 goals in 87 Jupiler Pro League games. After a season in Ukraine with Metal ...
*
Benjamin Moukandjo Benjamin Moukandjo Bilé (born 12 November 1988) is a Cameroonian professional footballer who last played as a forward for Greek club AEL. Club career Moukandjo began his career in hometown's Kadji Sports Academy, joining the club's youth ...
*
Ambroise Oyongo Ambroise Oyongo Bitolo (born 22 June 1991) is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a left-back for the Cameroon national team. Club career Coton Sport Ambroise Oyongo began his career with Moussango FC of Yaoundé in 2008. His ...
* Héldon * Férébory Doré *
Fabrice Ondama Fabrice N'Guessi Ondama (born 27 February 1988) is a Republic of the Congo, Congolese former professional association football, footballer who played as a winger (association football), winger. Club career Ondama was born in Ouenzé, Republic of ...
* Prince Oniangue *
Yannick Bolasie Yannick Bolasie (born 24 May 1989) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for TFF First League club Çaykur Rizespor. He has played in the Football League for Plymouth Argyle, Barnet, Bristol City, Crystal Palace, Everton and A ...
*
Joël Kimwaki Joël Kimwaki Mpela (born 14 October 1986) is a Congolese professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for FC Renaissance du Congo. He made 52 appearances for the DR Congo national team scoring 3 goals. Club career Kimwaki played for TP ...
*
Emilio Nsue Emilio Nsue López (born 30 September 1989) is a professional footballer who plays for Primera División RFEF club CF Intercity. Born in Spain, he captains the Equatorial Guinea national team. A versatile player, he plays mainly as a right-ba ...
* Ibán Edú *
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Pierre-Emerick Emiliano François Aubameyang (born 18 June 1989) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Chelsea. He is renowned for his pace, finishing, and off-ball movement. Born in France, he is a former ...
*
Malick Evouna Malick Evouna (born 28 November 1992) is a Gabonese professional footballer who plays as a striker for Egyptian club Aswan SC Career After scoring twelve goals in 17 matches in 2012–13 season for CF Mounana, Evouna joined Moroccan side Wy ...
* Kwesi Appiah *
Jordan Ayew Jordan Pierre Ayew (born 11 September 1991) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Crystal Palace and the Ghana national team. He is the son of former Ghana captain Abedi Pele and brother of fellow players A ...
*
John Boye John Boye (born 23 April 1987) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays 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 then later ...
*
Asamoah Gyan Asamoah Gyan ( ; born 22 November 1985) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who last played as a striker for Legon Cities FC and is the former captain of the Ghanaian national team. Gyan began his career in 2003 with Ghanaian Premier Leag ...
*
Mubarak Wakaso Mubarak Wakaso ( ar, مبارك واكاسو; born 25 July 1990) is a Ghanaian footballer who plays for Belgian club K.A.S. Eupen, on loan from Shenzhen F.C., and the Ghana national team as a midfielder. He spent the better part of his career ...
*
Kévin Constant Kévin Constant (born 10 May 1987) is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder or left back. Having come through the Toulouse youth system, he left for LB Châteauroux in 2008. He moved to Italy in 2010 playing for Chievo, Geno ...
* Ibrahima Traoré * Mohamed Yattara *
Seydou Doumbia Seydou Doumbia (; born 31 December 1987) is an Ivorian professional association footballer who last played as a forward for Maltese Premier League club Ħamrun Spartans. After beginning his career in the Ivory Coast and Japan, he arrived in E ...
* Wilfried Kanon *
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 an academy coach for Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur. Touré aspired to be a striker during his ...
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Bakary Sako Bakary Sako (born 26 April 1988) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Super League Greece club Levadiakos. He has previously played for English League clubs Crystal Palace, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and West Bromwich Albion. ...
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Modibo Maïga Modibo Maïga (born 3 September 1987) is a Malian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Al-Jeel and the Mali national team. He has also played for Stade Malien, Raja Casablanca, Le Mans, Sochaux, West Ham United, Queens Park ...
* Sambou Yatabaré *
Mame Biram Diouf Mame Biram Diouf (born 16 December 1987) is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a striker for Turkish Süper Lig club Konyaspor. Diouf started his career at Diaraf before moving to Molde in 2007. In his first season with them he ...
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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 Al-Sailiya and the Senegal national team. He can be deployed as a defender, defensive midfielder or ...
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Moussa Sow Moussa Sow (born 19 January 1986) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward. Born in France, he represented Senegal at international level, scoring 18 goals in 50 appearances. He was known for his bicycle kick goals and emotional re ...
* Oupa Manyisa * Mandla Masango *
Thuso Phala Thuso Phala (born 27 May 1986 in Soweto, Gauteng) is a retired South African football midfielder. He is the inventor of Thuso Phala dance moves that are becoming popular to South African soccer fans and dancers at large, the moves he makes aft ...
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Yassine Chikhaoui Yassine Chikhaoui ( ar, ياسين الشيخاوي; born 21 September 1986) is a Tunisian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Tunisian club Étoile du Sahel. Club career Étoile du Sahel Chikhaoui became captain of ...
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Mohamed Ali Moncer Mohamed Ali Moncer (born 28 April 1991) is a Tunisian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Mesaimeer on loan from CS Sfaxien. International career International goals :''Scores and results list Tunisia's goal tally first.'' ...
* Emmanuel Mayuka *
Given Singuluma Given Singuluma (born 19 July 1986) is a Zambian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Club career Singuluma was born in Rufunsa. He started his career at the Lusaka-based National Assembly and also had spells w ...
;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 and Bafana Bafana. Career Ajax Cape Town Hlatshwayo was born in Soweto, Gauteng. He made his prof ...
(against Algeria)


Awards

;
Pepsi Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961. History Pepsi wa ...
Highest Scorer *
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 for Qatar Stars League club Al Sadd and captain of the Ghana national team. He is the second-born son of t ...
; Orange Man of the Competition *
Christian Atsu Christian Atsu Twasam (10 January 1992 – ) was a Ghanaian professional footballer who primarily played as a winger, although he was also deployed as an attacking midfielder or left back. Atsu began his career with Porto, also spending a seas ...
;Best Goalkeeper *
Sylvain Gbohouo Guelassiognon Sylvain Gbohouo (born 29 October 1988) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Ethiopian Premier League club Wolkite City and the Ivory Coast national team. International career Gbohouo made his debu ...
;
Nissan , trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the Nissan, Infiniti, and Datsun bra ...
Goal of the tournament *
Christian Atsu Christian Atsu Twasam (10 January 1992 – ) was a Ghanaian professional footballer who primarily played as a winger, although he was also deployed as an attacking midfielder or left back. Atsu began his career with Porto, also spending a seas ...
vs Guinea (3rd goal of the match) ;
Samsung The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ...
Fair Player of the Tournament * Kwesi Appiah ;Fair Play of the tournament: ;CAF Team of the Tournament


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:


Tournament team rankings

As per statistical convention in football, matches decided in
extra time Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport 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 ...
are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws.


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 spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two families of animals: the Old World porcupines of family Hystricidae, and the New World porcupines of family, Erethiz ...
.


Opening ceremony

The opening ceremony of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations took place on 17 January, at the
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 ...
, 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 O, or o, is the fifteenth letter and the fourth vowel letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''o'' (pronounced ), p ...
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 ( ar, الجامعة التونسية لكرة القدم, french: Fédération Tunisienne de Football, FTF) is the governing body of football in Tunisia. It was established in 1957. It became a member in the F ...
, 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.
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 ...
, 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 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. Explosives were common in Japan during the Mongol invasions of the 13th ...
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 ( es, Federación Ecuatoguineana de Fútbol, FeGuiFut) is the governing body of football in Equatorial Guinea. It was founded in 1975, and affiliated to FIFA and to CAF in 1986. It organizes the national footb ...
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 was most recently manager of Spalding United. Zakuani began his career with Leyton Orient, and was a vital member of the sid ...
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 Club. Early and personal life He was born in Léopoldville on 4 December 1961. Playing career Ibengé played ...
.


References


External links


Orange Africa Cup Of Nations, Equatorial Guinea 2015
CAFonline.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Africa Cup Of Nations 2015
Nations A nation is a community of people formed on the basis of a combination of shared features such as language, history, ethnicity, culture and/or society. A nation is thus the collective identity of a group of people understood as defined by t ...
2015 in Equatoguinean sport
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...
International association football competitions hosted by Equatorial Guinea January 2015 sports events in Africa February 2015 sports events in Africa