The African Nations Cup is now one of the biggest and most respected tournaments in world football, a far cry from the inaugural tournament in Khartoum in 1957, when only three nations took part.

The tournament was the brainchild of Sudanese football official Dr Abdel Hamil Mohaned, who suggested that Sudan, who had gained independence in January 1956 and were building a new national stadium, should host a tournament involving the members of the newly-founded Confederation Africain de Football.

As so many African Nations tournaments would be, the 1957 competition was beset by logistical and political difficulties. Initially Sudan, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Africa were scheduled to take part, but South Africa withdrew after CAF insisted they field a multi-racial side.

That handed Ethiopia a bye to the final, where they met Egypt, who had beaten Sudan 2-1 in the very first African Nations game. The Egyptians proved far too strong in the final, and romped to a 4-0 victory, Mohammed Diab El-Attar (Diba) scoring all four goals.

The same three nations took part in the 1959 tournament in Egypt, but this time it was organised on a league basis - an idea that had been rejected by Ethiopian delegate Ydnekatchew Tessema two years earlier.

The hosts retained their title, Mahmoud Al-Gohari scoring a hat-trick as they again beat Ethiopia 4-0, and Esam Baheeg getting two - including a last-ditch winner - as Sudan, who had beaten Ethiopia, were overcome 2-1.

Tunisia and Uganda joined the fray in Ethiopia in 1962, where Egypt again reached the final. This time, though, Ethiopia proved too strong, and triumphed 4-2 after extra-time in the final, captain Luciano Vassallo netting twice.

Gradually, as the colonial shackles began to be cast off, the tournament began to grow. Ghana were chosen as hosts for the 1963, and were joined in making their debut by Nigeria, another side who would have a major influence in the development of the African game.

Ghana and Sudan finished at the top of their preliminary groups, but it was the host nation who came out on top in the final, winning 3-0 - largely thanks to a brace from Wilberforce Mfum - to herald in the golden age of Ghanaian football.

It was in 1965, though, that the African Nations' came into its own. CAF, angered by Fifa's decision not to grant Africa a guaranteed place in the World Cup, ordered its members to boycott the 1966 World Cup in England, meaning that the 1965 African Nations took on an increased significance.

There was a need to prove that technically and organisationally Fifa were wrong to ignore Africa, and, by and large that goal was achieved in Tunisia, where Ghana retained their crown in an epic final, Odoi scoring twice in a 3-2 win over the hosts.

The success of that tournament prompted a great boom in the number of nations entering, and with 17 countries applying for places in the finals in Ethiopia. CAF instituted a qualifying competition, but that disintegrated into near farce as political pressures forced Egypt to pull out of their play-off against Uganda, and Tanzania refused to line-up against Congo Kinshasa (which would become Zaire and then the Democratic Republic of Congo) in another.

The 1968 finals were also the first to limit sides to fielding more than two overseas-based players, a measure designed encourage the emergence of home-grown talent, but which ended up simply weakening the competition as players opted for the bright lights and regular wages of Europe.

Holders Ghana reached their third successive final, but they had failed to produce their best form during the tournament, and went down to Congo Kinshasa in the final. They suffered a similar fate two years later, going down 1-0 in Khartoum to hosts Sudan.

Cameroon hosted the 1972 tournament, where the balance of power in African football took a decided shift south-eastwards, Congo beating Mali 3-2 in the final. Two years later in Egypt, Patrick Mulamba Ndaye struck twice for Zaire in the final as they drew 2-2 with Zambia, and then helped himself to another double as Zaire won the replay 2-0.

A final-round group replaced the semi-finals and final in Ethiopia in 1976, where a draw against Guinea in their final game was enough to give Morocco their only African Nations title.

After a hiatus of eight years, Ghana returned to the final as hosts in the 1978 tournament, where two goals from Opoku Afriyie were enough to see off Uganda.

It was then that Nigeria began to dominate, as they won the title for the first time on home soil in 1980, two goals from Segun Odegbami helping them to a 3-0 victory over Algeria in the final.

The limit on foreign-based players was abolished in 1982 and that played into the hands of Ghana, who clinched their fourth title with a penalty shoot-out victory over hosts Libya.

The title remained on the Gulf of Guinea as Cameroon, who had performed so inspirationally in the 1982 World Cup, won their first African Nations' in 1984, beating neighbours Nigeria 3-1 in the final.

Chaos was the prevalent theme in Egypt in 1986. Security police conscripts rioted a week before the tournament, and matches were held in stadia surrounded by tanks. The uneasy atmosphere seemed to spread to the pitch, where poor refereeing and some ill-tempered games made the tournament the most forgettable in the competition's history. Cameroon again reached the final, but they lost to the hosts on penalties after a dire goalless draw.

Cameroon did win the title for a second time two years later, Emmanuel Kunde's goal proving enough to do for Nigeria. It was a similar story for the Super Eagles in Algeria in 1990 as Oudjani's first half goal gave the host nation their only African Nations' title.

Twelve teams took part in the finals in Senegal in 1992, where the Cote d'Ivoire proved themselves the kings of the penalty shoot-out. They beat Cameroon in a shoot-out in the semi-finals, and held their nerve in an extraordinary final to beat Ghana 11-10 on penalties after a goalless draw.

Two years later in Tunisia, Zambia almost pulled off one of the great footballing fairy-tales. They lost 18 players in a plane crash on the way from Mauritius to Senegal in April 1993, but, building their side around the Europe-based players who had not been aboard, they reached the final. There, though, they were beaten by an Emmanuel Amunike-inspired Nigeria.

South Africa, welcomed back into the fold in 1992 after the abolition of apartheid, stepped in as hosts after the withdrawal of Kenya for the 1996 finals, and emerged bas victors, two goals from Mark Williams giving them victory over Tunisia in the final. They reached the final in Burkino Faso two years later, only to go down 2-0 to Egypt. The 2000 tournament was the first to be co-hosted, Ghana and Nigeria sharing the honour. The Nigerians, who had won the wrangle to host the final, seemed to enjoy the arrangement more, as they beat South Africa in the semi-finals to set up a repeat of the 1984 final against Cameroon.

Glory looked on the cards as two goals in the space of three minutes either side of half-time cancelled out Cameroon's early two goal lead, but the Indomitable Lions rallied, and ran out victors in a penalty shoot-out.[ACONS]