2012 Africa Cup of Nations
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| Tournament details | |
| Host countries | Gabon Equatorial Guinea |
| Dates | 21 January – 12 February |
| Teams | 16 (from 5 sub-confederations) |
| Venue(s) | 4 (in 4 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |
 Zambia (1st title)
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| Runners-up |  Ivory Coast |
| Third place |  Mali |
| Fourth place |  Ghana |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 32 |
| Goals scored | 76 (2.38 per match) |
| Attendance | 456,332 (14,260 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |
 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Cheick Diabaté Didier Drogba Christopher Katongo Houssine Kharja Manucho Emmanuel Mayuka(3 goals each) |
| Best player |
Christopher Katongo
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| Fair play award | Ivory Coast |
The 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the Orange Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 28th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the football championship of Africa organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The competition was co-hosted in two countries; it took place in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon from 21 January to 12 February 2012. The bidding process for hosting the tournament ended in September 2006; the continental football federation, CAF, selected Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.
The matches were played in four stadiums in four host cities around the two countries, with the final played at the newly built Stade d'Angondjé in Gabon's largest city, Libreville. Fourteen teams were selected for participation via a continental qualification tournament that began in July 2010.
The 2012 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations was one of the most politically charged sports events to take place. Libya (Libyan Civil War) and Tunisia's (Tunisian revolution) national teams qualified for the tournament despite a political backdrop which saw both countries' rulers ousted from power. Players of the Libyan and Tunisian national teams had fought on the front lines in their respective campaigns. The traditional footballing nations such as reigning champions Egypt (also affected by political events), Cameroon, Nigeria, Algeria and South Africa had failed to qualify. Players from third-placed Mali pleaded for the insurgency in the north of their country to end.
In the first round of the tournament finals, the teams competed in round-robin groups of four teams for points, with the top two teams in each group proceeding. These eight teams advanced to the knockout stage, where three rounds of play decided which teams would participate in the final. Both host nations, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, were eliminated from the competition at the quarter final stage.
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