#4 Nigeria – 3-time winners
Nigeria won their first AFCON tournament in 1980 and were the host country in that edition of the competition. Since then, the nation has emerged victorious two more times – in 1994 and in 2013. They have also finished as runners-up 4 times, the second most in the competition’s history.
The biggest surprise of the qualification stages this time around was the fact that Nigeria failed to qualify for the competition. It came as a massive shock in a country mad about its football that the 3-time champions could not make it to Africa’s elite.
Despite this most recent setback, however, the country is brimming with young talent, most notably the likes of Kelechi Ihenacho, Alex Iwobi and Ahmed Musa leading the strike attack. They will be hoping to return stronger in the 2019 edition of this tournament.
