View source for 1957 African Cup of Nations

{{Short description|1st edition of the Africa Cup of Nations}}
{{Infobox international football competition
| tourney_name = African Cup of Nations
| year = 1957
| other_titles = 1957 {{lang|ar|كأس أمم أفريقيا}}
| image =
| size = 200px
| alt =
| caption =
| country = Sudan
| dates = 10–16 February
| num_teams = 3
| confederations = 
| associations =
| venues = 1
| cities = 
| champion = Egypt
| champion-flagvar = 1922
| count = 1
| second = Ethiopia
| second-flagvar = 1897
| third = Sudan
| third-flagvar = 1956
| fourth =
| matches = 2
| goals =
| attendance = 60000
| top_scorer = {{flagicon|EGY|1922}} [[Ad-Diba|El-Diba]] (5 goals)
| player = {{flagicon|EGY|1922}}  [[Ad-Diba|El-Diba]]
| prevseason = 
| nextseason = [[1959 African Cup of Nations|1959]]
}}
The '''1957 African Cup of Nations''' was the 1st edition of the [[Africa Cup of Nations]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Balogun |first1=David |title=Top 10 Memorable Events In African Football |url=https://yochale.com/top-10-memorable-events-in-african-football |website=Yo Chale |access-date=14 March 2025}}</ref> the [[Association football|football]] championship of Africa organized by the [[Confederation of African Football]] (CAF). The competition took place between 10 and 16 February 1957. It was hosted by [[Sudan]].

Organized by the African football continental association CAF, only three teams took part: [[Egypt national football team|Egypt]], [[Ethiopia national football team|Ethiopia]] and [[Sudan national football team|Sudan]]. [[South Africa national soccer team|South Africa]], which had originally entered, was disqualified due to its refusal to enter a multi-racial team, so only two games took place. Both games were played in the [[Khartoum Stadium|Municipal Stadium]] in the Sudanese capital [[Khartoum]]. 

Egypt won the tournament and became the inaugural African football champions.

== Context ==
[[File:Hanafy Bastan 1957.jpg|thumb|Egypt's captain [[Hanafy Bastan]] carrying the African Cup of Nations trophy in 1957]]
On the African continent, South Africa created the [[South African Football Association]] in 1892, then joined [[FIFA]] in 1910, before leaving in 1924 and returning in 1952. Then, Egypt created its [[Egyptian Football Association|federation]] on 3 December 1921 and joined FIFA in 1923; then Sudan created its [[Sudan Football Association|federation]] while it was under [[Anglo-Egyptian Sudan|Anglo-Egyptian domination]] in 1936 and joined FIFA in 1948. Finally, Ethiopia created its [[Ethiopian Football Federation|federation]] in 1943 and joined FIFA under the name of [[Abyssinia]] in 1952. These were the first nations to organize themselves into an independent selection and to join FIFA.

The integration of these four African nations into FIFA was incomplete and this was evident in the organisation of the [[FIFA World Cup qualification|World Cup qualifiers]]: in [[1934 FIFA World Cup qualification|1934]], only Egypt took part in the World Cup qualifiers (against [[Mandatory Palestine national football team|Mandatory Palestine]]) in the [[1934 FIFA World Cup qualification#Group 12|Africa–Asia group]] and took part in the [[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934 World Cup]], making it the first African nation in the World Cup. In 1938, Egypt was transferred to a [[1938 FIFA World Cup qualification#Group 4|European group]] but withdrew. In 1950, no team was registered and in 1954, only Egypt played in the qualifiers in the [[1954 FIFA World Cup qualification Group 9|European zone]] against [[Italy national football team|Italy]]. The involvement of African teams in the qualifiers was either with Asia or Europe and this led to the idea of creating an [[Confederation of African Football|African confederation]].

== Overview ==
[[South Africa national football team|South Africa]] was drawn to play Ethiopia in the semi-finals, but were disqualified due to [[apartheid]].<ref name="rsf">{{cite web |author1=Khaled Abul-Oyoun |author2=Ken Knight |author3=Neil Morrison |author4=Karel Stokkermans |date=3 October 2013 |title=African Nations Cup 1957 |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tables/57a-det.html |access-date=14 May 2018}}</ref> Ethiopia therefore had a bye to the final, whilst in the other semi-final at [[Khartoum Stadium|Municipal Stadium]] in [[Khartoum]], the Egyptians beat the host nation 2–1.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/20016125 New dawn for Ethiopia after Nations Cup qualification] - ''BBC Sport''</ref> In the final, Egypt beat Ethiopia 4–0, with all four goals scored by [[Ad-Diba|El-Diba]], who finished the tournament as top scorer with five goals. Only two games were played in this first edition.<ref name="rsf" />

== Participating teams ==
[[File:African Cup of Nations 1957.png|thumb|Result of teams participating:
{{Legend|#2b42a3|Champion}} {{Legend|#34c0be|Runner-up}} {{Legend|#269c5a|Third place}}]]
Four teams were due to take part in the tournament: Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia and South Africa, but South Africa was disqualified as they refused to field a multi-racial team due to the country's apartheid laws.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left;"
|-
! Team
! Qualified as
! Qualified on
|-
| {{fb|Sudan|1956}} || Hosts || {{dts|8 July 1956}}
|-
| {{fb|Egypt|1922}} || Invitee || {{dts|8 July 1956}}
|-
| {{fb|Ethiopia|1897}} || Invitee || {{dts|8 July 1956}}
|}
{{clear}}

== Venues ==
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! [[Khartoum]]
|rowspan="4"| {{location map+|Sudan (2005-2011)|float=right|width=300|caption=|places=
{{location map~|Sudan (2005-2011)|lat=15.633333|long=32.533333|label='''[[Khartoum]]'''|position=top}}
}}

|-
| [[Khartoum Stadium|Municipal Stadium]]
|-
| Capacity: '''30,000'''
|-
| [[File:Placeholder_view_vector.svg|frameless|186x186px]]
|}</div>

== Squads ==
{{main|1957 African Cup of Nations squads}}

== Final tournament ==
{{main|1957 African Cup of Nations knockout stage}}

=== Semifinals ===
{{footballbox
| date = 10 February 1957
| time = 
| team1 = {{fb-rt|Sudan|1956}}
| score = 1–2
| team2 = {{fb|Egypt|1922}}
| goals1 = [[Boraî Bashir|Bashir]] {{goal|58}}
| goals2 = [[Raafat Attia|Attia]] {{goal|21|pen.}} <br> [[Ad-Diba]] {{goal|72}}
| stadium = [[Khartoum Stadium|Municipal Stadium]], [[Khartoum]]
| attendance = 30,000
| referee = Gebeyehu Doube ([[Ethiopia]])
| report = 
}}
----
{{footballbox
| date = 10 February 1957
| team1 = {{fb-rt|Ethiopia|1897}}
| team2 = {{fb|South Africa|1928}}
| score = [[Walkover|w/o]]
| stadium = 
| attendance =
| referee =
| report = 
}}

''The match was scratched and Ethiopia advanced to the final as South Africa were disqualified after refusing to field a multi-racial team due to the country's [[apartheid]] policies.''

=== Final ===
{{main|1957 African Cup of Nations final}}

{{footballbox
| date = 16 February 1957
| time = 
| team1 = {{fb-rt|Egypt|1922}}
| score = 4–0
| team2 = {{fb|Ethiopia|1897}}
| goals1 = [[Ad-Diba]] {{goal|2||7||68||89}}
| goals2 =
| stadium = [[Khartoum Stadium|Municipal Stadium]], [[Khartoum]]
| attendance = 30,000
| referee = Mohammed Youssef ([[Sudan Football Association|Sudan]])
| report = 
}}

== Goalscorers ==
[[File:Ad-Diba.jpg|thumb|183x183px|[[Ad-Diba]], top scorer]]
;5 goals
* {{flagicon|EGY|1922}} [[Ad-Diba]] – four of the five goals were scored in Egypt's 4–0 defeat of Ethiopia in the final. <ref name="FIFA">[[FIFA]] : ''The day it all started for Ad-Diba and the Pharaohs'' (16 Feb 2017) [https://www.fifa.com/news/the-day-it-all-started-for-ad-diba-and-the-pharaohs-2867512]</ref><ref name="Onet" />

;1 goal
* {{flagicon|EGY|1922}} [[Raafat Attia]] – first ever goal scorer in Africa Cup of Nations.<ref name="Onet">(Polish) - Onet sport : ''Puchar Narodów Afryki, czyli piłkarska fantazja w środku ligowego sezonu'', by PAWEŁ BANACZYK (14 January 2017) [https://sport.onet.pl/pilka-nozna/puchar-narodow-afryki/puchar-narodow-afryki-czyli-pilkarska-fantazja-w-srodku-ligowego-sezonu/mgg8sq]</ref>
* {{flagicon|SUD|1956}} [[Boraî Bashir]] — "some sources report the Sudan goal-scorer as [[Siddiq Manzul|Seddiq Mohammed Manzul]], but contemporary reports mention that "Seddiq passed the ball to Boraî who scored."<ref name="RSSSF">{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tables/57a-det.html|title=African Nations Cup 1957|author1=Khaled Abul-Oyoun|author2=Ken Knight|author3=Neil Morrison|author4=Karel Stokkermans|date=3 October 2013|access-date=27 January 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Bagozzi |first=Marco |url=https://www.opinione-pubblica.com/sessanta-anni-fa-la-prima-coppa-delle-nazioni-africa/ |title=Sessant’anni fa la prima Coppa delle Nazioni d’Africa |publisher=Opinione Pubblica |language=it |date=14 January 2017 }}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons category-inline|2='''1957 African Cup of Nations'''}}

{{1957 African Cup of Nations}}
{{Africa Cup of Nations}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:African Cup Of Nations}}
[[Category:1957 African Cup of Nations| ]]
[[Category:Africa Cup of Nations tournaments|1957]]
[[Category:1957 in African men's international football|Cup of Nations]]
[[Category:1957 in Sudan]]
[[Category:International association football competitions hosted by Sudan|1957]]
[[Category:February 1957 sports events in Africa]]