2004 African Cup of Nations
| كأس الأمم الإفريقية 2004 Coupe d'Afrique des Nations 2004 | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Tunisia |
| Dates | 24 January – 14 February |
| Teams | 16 |
| Venue(s) | 6 (in 5 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Tunisia (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Morocco |
| Third place | Nigeria |
| Fourth place | Mali |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 32 |
| Goals scored | 88 (2.75 per match) |
| Attendance | 617,500 (19,297 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | (4 goals each) |
| Best player(s) | Jay-Jay Okocha |
← 2002 2006 → | |
The 2004 African Cup of Nations was held from 24 January to 14 February 2004 in Tunisia. It was the 24th edition of the biennial international men's football championship of Africa, organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). Tunisia hosted the tournament for the third time, having previously done so in 1965 and 1994.
Tunisia won the title for the first time in their history, defeating Morocco 2–1 in the final. Nigeria secured third place with a 2–1 victory over Mali in the third-place match. Cameroon, the defending champions from the 2002 tournament, were eliminated in the quarter-finals after a 2–1 loss to Nigeria.
A total of 32 matches were played, with 88 goals scored—an average of 2.75 goals per match. The tournament attracted a total attendance of 617,500, averaging 19,297 spectators per match. As in the 2002 edition, sixteen teams competed, beginning with a group stage of four groups of four teams each, followed by knockout rounds (quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final). Cameroon, as the title holder, and Tunisia, as the host nation, automatically qualified. The remaining fourteen teams secured their spots through a qualification phase held from 7 September 2002 to 6 July 2003.
The tournament’s top scorers were Tunisia’s Francileudo Santos, Cameroon’s Patrick Mboma, Mali’s Frédéric Kanouté, and Nigeria’s Jay-Jay Okocha. Santos received the Golden Boot, as he played for the championship-winning team and did not receive any cards during the tournament[citation needed]. Okocha was named the Player of the Tournament. As champions, Tunisia qualified for the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup in Germany as Africa’s representative.