The 1988 African Cup of Nations was the 16th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the association football championship of Africa (CAF). It was hosted by Morocco, who replaced original host Zambia. Just like in 1986, the field of eight teams was split into two groups of four. The tournament final was held in Casablanca at Stade Mohamed V. Cameroon won its second championship, beating Nigeria in the final 1−0.
| كأس أمم إفريقيا 1988 Coupe d'Afrique des Nations 1988 | |
|---|---|
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| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Morocco |
| Dates | 13–27 March |
| Teams | 8 |
| Venue(s) | 2 (in 2 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Cameroon (2nd title) |
| Runners-up |  Nigeria |
| Third place |  Algeria |
| Fourth place |  Morocco |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 16 |
| Goals scored | 23 (1.44 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Lakhdar Belloumi Roger Milla  Gamal Abdelhamid  Abdoulaye Traoré (2 goals each) |
| Best player(s) | Roger Milla |
| Best goalkeeper | Joseph-Antoine Bell |
This tournament has the fewest goals-per-game average in Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.
Host selection
The original host was Zambia but after their withdrawal in December 1986 due to financial issues, the Confederation of African Football approached Algeria which agreed to host the tournament. However, in February 1987 the CAF rescinded this decision following a dispute with Algeria which protested the CAF's decision to order a replay of the first leg match of the 1987 All-Africa Games qualification against Tunisia. CAF had made this decision following Tunisia's protest that Algeria had fielded two professional players. Morocco was chosen in the end to host the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations replacing Algeria.
Qualified teams
The 8 qualified teams are:
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearances in tournament |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morocco | Hosts | 5 (1972, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1986) | |
| Egypt | Holders | 21 March 1986 | 10 (1957, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1970, 1974, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1986) |
| Algeria | 2nd round winners | 14 April 1987 | 5 (1968, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986) |
| Cameroon | 2nd round winners | 18 July 1987 | 5 (1970, 1972, 1982, 1984, 1986) |
| Kenya | 2nd round winners | 18 July 1987 | 1 (1972) |
| Nigeria | 2nd round winners | 18 July 1987 | 6 (1963, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1984) |
| Ivory Coast | 2nd round winners | 19 July 1987 | 7 (1965, 1968, 1970, 1974, 1980, 1984, 1986) |
| Zaire | 2nd round winners | 19 July 1987 | 6 (1965, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1976) |
- Notes
Squads
Venues
The competition was played in two venues in Casablanca and Rabat.
| Casablanca | Rabat | |
|---|---|---|
| Stade Mohamed V | Stade Moulay Abdellah | |
| Capacity: 80,000 | Capacity: 52,000 | |
Group stage
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morocco | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 4 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Algeria | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | |
| 3 | Ivory Coast | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | |
| 4 | Zaire | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 2 |
| Ivory Coast | 1–1 | Algeria |
|---|---|---|
| A. Traoré 48' | Report | Belloumi 16' |
| Ivory Coast | 1–1 | Zaire |
|---|---|---|
| A. Traoré 74' | Report | Kabongo 37' |
| Morocco | 1–0 | Algeria |
|---|---|---|
| El Haddaoui 52' | Report |
| Morocco | 0–0 | Ivory Coast |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Note: Algeria qualified by drawing of lots.
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nigeria | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 4 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Cameroon | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 4 | |
| 3 | Egypt | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 3 | |
| 4 | Kenya | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 1 |
| Egypt | 3–0 | Kenya |
|---|---|---|
| Abdelhamid 2', 65' Younes 58' | Report |
Knockout stage
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| 23 March – Rabat | ||||||
| Nigeria (p) | 1 (9) | |||||
| 27 March – Casablanca | ||||||
| Algeria | 1 (8) | |||||
| Nigeria | 0 | |||||
| 23 March – Casablanca | ||||||
| Cameroon | 1 | |||||
| Morocco | 0 | |||||
| Cameroon | 1 | |||||
| Third place | ||||||
| 26 March – Casablanca | ||||||
| Algeria (p) | 1 (4) | |||||
| Morocco | 1 (3) | |||||
Semifinals
| Nigeria | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | Algeria |
|---|---|---|
| Belgharbi 36' (o.g.) | Report | Maâtar 86' |
| Penalties | ||
| Eguavoen Adeshina Uwe Sofoluwe Yekini Okwaraji Nwosu Omokaro Okafor Rufai Eguavoen | 9–8 | Belloumi Belgherbi Maâtar Yahi Menad Bouafia Medane Chaib Megharia Drid Belloumi |
Third place match
| Morocco | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | Algeria |
|---|---|---|
| Nader 67' | Report | Belloumi 87' |
| Penalties | ||
| El Gharef Benabicha Ouadani El Maataoui Timoumi Nader | 3–4 | Yahi Djahmoune Merzekane Chaib Megharia Belgherbi |
Final
Scorers
- 2 goals
- 1 goal
- Own goal
CAF Team of the Tournament
Goalkeeper
Defenders
- Tijani El Maataoui
- Emmanuel Kundé
- John Buana
- Stephen Tataw
Midfielders
Forwards