ACN Event Icons
Overview
The Africa Cup of Nations is organized by the African Hockey Federation (AfHF), the continental governing body for field hockey, which has 25 member nations and is affiliated with the International Hockey Federation (FIH). It comprises separate men’s and women’s tournaments, contested by national teams rather than clubs (distinct from the Africa Cup for Club Championships).
The Men’s edition dates back to 1974, while the Women’s edition is more recent, with the 2025 tournament marking its ninth staging — a quadrennial championship organized by the African Hockey Federation. The competitions now run concurrently in the same host city.
Qualification works on a regional basis: the top two highest-ranked teams in the FIH World Rankings qualify directly, while the remaining teams compete in regional qualifiers across three zones — Northeast Africa, Northwest Africa, and Central-South Africa — with the top finishers from each region advancing to the main tournament.
Stakes
The winners of both the men’s and women’s competitions earn Africa’s direct qualification spot for the FIH Hockey World Cup, making the ACN the continent’s most important hockey tournament.
Most recent edition (2025)
Held in Ismailia, Egypt, from 11-18 October 2025 (12th Men’s / 9th Women’s edition)
Men’s field: South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, Ghana, and Zambia
Women’s field: South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, and Ghana.
Format: round-robin group stage followed by gold and bronze medal matches
Results: South Africa’s men and women both won gold, with the men defeating Egypt 5-1 in the final, securing qualification for the FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium and Netherlands 2026. South Africa’s women defeated Ghana 4-0 in their final. Africahockey
Dominant nation
South Africa has been the standout team in recent editions across both men’s and women’s competitions, regularly topping qualifying pools and winning titles, with Egypt, Kenya, Ghana, and Nigeria as other consistently competitive sides.
