Founded | 1978 |
---|---|
Region | International (FIFA) |
Number of teams | 2 |
Current champions | Japan (2nd Title) |
Most successful team(s) | Japan (2 Titles) |
The Afro-Asian Cup of Nations was played between the winners of the Asian Cup or the Asian Games and the winners of the Africa Cup of Nations. The first edition in 1978, where Iran defeated Ghana 3-0, the trophy was not awarded: because the second leg was cancelled due to political problems in Iran. The 1989, 2005 editions were cancelled. The 1997 edition was severely delayed to 1999, while the "true" 1999 edition (between Egypt and Iran) was also canceled.
The competition was discontinued following a CAF decision on July 30, 2000, after AFC representatives had supported Germany rather than South Africa in the vote for hosting the 2006 World Cup. The competition was scheduled to be resumed in 2005 with the match Tunisia-Japan, but then was cancelled. However the trophy was resumed in 2007 under the name "AFC Asia/Africa Challenge Cup". The 2008 edition was scheduled to be played in November 2008 between Iraq and Egypt in the neutral venue of Saudi Arabia but was eventually cancelled.
The most successful team is Japan with 2 championships.
The 1985 Afro-Asian Cup of Nations was contested by Cameroon, winners of the 1984 African Cup of Nations, and Saudi Arabia, winners of the 1984 AFC Asian Cup. Cameroon won 5-3 on aggregate over the two legs.