The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) might be a massive pain in the arse to the clubs whose players disappear for a month to take part in it but there’s no doubt that it has served up some incredible moments over the last 30 years.

From Zambia’s shock victory in 2012 to Egypt’s three-in-a-row triumph in the noughties, AFCON never disappoints. And what’s more, the tournament has also produced some extremely eye-catching football kits.

The 2023 edition kicks off this week (yes, we know it’s 2024 – blame the weather), so we have looked back at AFCONs past to pick our favourite shirts.

 

 

Cameroon 2002 (home)

 

 

"The players didn't know we would play with a shirt with no sleeves," Indomitable Lions midfielder Eric Djemba-Djemba told BBC Sport Africa.

"When we came to the dressing room we said 'Wow, this is a new generation of shirt'. When we went onto the pitch the world was watching and it became famous. Everybody in Africa wanted to wear that shirt."

However, Fifa weren't having it.

They promptly banned the basketball-style jerseys, forcing the manufacturer to hastily add some black sleeves to avoid punishment.

Browse our Cameroon range here.

 

 

South Africa 1996 (home)

 

 

South Africa made their AFCON debut when they hosted the tournament in 1996, Their home kit was absolute mayhem.

These days South Africa tend to wear yellow, but back in the 1990s their shirts were much more fun, this one being a case in point.

In our opinion, Kappa were one of the great brands from that era and this is definitely one of their best. We don't tend to get many of these and when we do they sell pretty quickly. It helps of course that Bafana Bafana won in 1996.

 

 

 

 

If you know anything about football shirts, you'll know just how insanely popular Nigeria's 2018 jersey was.

Nike paid homage to the shirt worn by the Super Eagles at USA 94 - the first time the nation appeared at a World Cup - and it became an instant classic.

Shop our Nigeria collection from here.

 

 

Zambia 2012 (home)

 

  

This is a nice shirt in its own right but it is elevated by the fact Zambia won AFCON, which remains one of the great footballing underdog stories.

Poignantly, their shoot-out victory took place in Gabon, close to the site of the 1993 plane crash that claimed the lives of the entire Zambian national team.

 

 

Mali 2021 (home)

 

 

Mali have had some of the most vibrant kits at AFCON for years, a number of which feature an eagle, the national symbol. Big graphics like this just look great, don't they?

 

 

Tunisia 2010 (away)

 

 

It's an absolute, undisputed fact that a sash makes any shirt look amazing and that's definitely the case here.

The gold trim is a lovely addition, too.

 

 

Ghana 2015 (home)

 

 

Has there ever been a collar as cool as this? Definitely not.

Ghana have got some great shirts in their back catalogue but this is up there with the best.

Check out our Other African shirts.

 

 

Zimbabwe 2021 (away)

 

 

This is definitely one of the best AFCON shirts of recent tournaments.

The thick brushes of red, black, green and yellow are an entirely welcome assault on the eyes. Gorgeous.

 

 

Angola 2010 (home)

 

 

There is a lot to like about this shirt: the painted horizontal stripes, the fact the badge and Puma logo are on the same side, and the graphic featuring a giant sable antelope, the national symbol of Angola.

We need more antelopes on football shirts.

 

 

Uganda 2017 (home)

 

 

Uganda used to wear yellow home shirts but switched to red in 2015. This is a really nice, simple jersey.

 
_

 

This article was first published on BBC Sport | 26th December 2023 | Contribution by Josh Warwick Cult Kits | View the original article here.

Shop all African national team shirts.