England's squad announcement on Tuesday morning brought with it a real surprise, as Erica Parkinson received her first senior call-up at the age of 17 ahead of World Cup qualifiers with Iceland and, crucially, world champions Spain. Parkinson will be a new name to many Lionesses fans and Sarina Wiegman has now explained why she chose to hand the teenager an invite that left her "speechless".
Leah Williamson has been named in the latest Lionesses squad despite missing all of Arsenal's last three games, with Sarina Wiegman clearly hopeful that the England captain will be fit to face world champions Spain in a crucial World Cup qualifier next month. Williamson has been dealing with a hamstring issue but it will be a major boost for the Lionesses if she is able to recover for the April international break.
The six remaining places at the 2026 World Cup will be decided through two play-off tournaments, featuring the likes of Italy, Poland, Jamaica and DR Congo, among others.
Lionesses star Ella Toone is not expected to return from injury until after the April international break, dealing a significant blow to both England and Man Utd. It's a delay that means the playmaking midfielder will miss United's upcoming games with Manchester City and Bayern Munich, as well as the Lionesses' crucial clash with Spain in World Cup qualifying.
Egypt are the team who have won the most AFCON titles in history, with seven to their name. It was in 1957, the inaugural edition of AFCON, where Egypt attained glory. They would go on to add three more trophies before the turn of the century (1957, 1986, 1998), before completing a threepeat in 2006, 2008, and 2010.
How many teams are in the AFCON?
The first-ever AFCON featured just three teams. Between 1968 and 1990, eight teams featured in the tournament. An expansion in 1992 saw 12 teams feature in AFCON, and 16 from 1998. The latest expansion in 2019, though, sees 24 teams fight for glory.
Who has made the most AFCON appearances ever?
Cameroon legend Rigobert Song set the record of most AFCON appearances in 2010, playing in his 36th game in the tournament. That record was equalled by Ghanaian icon Andre Ayew in 2024.
Who is the all-time top scorer of the AFCON?
Cameroon icon Samuel Eto'o leads the all-time goalscoring charts with an impressive 18 goals over the course of 29 matches during six different tournaments.
Who is the oldest player ever in the AFCON and how old was he?
Egypt's Essam El Hadary is the oldest player ever to play in AFCON at the age of 44 years and 21 days. He achieved this feat in 2017 during Egypt's 2-1 loss to Cameroon.
Who is the youngest player ever in the AFCON and how old was he?
Former Ghana defender Joseph Odoi made his AFCON debut in 1984 at the age of 15 years and 164 days, becoming the youngest player ever to feature in the African Cup of Nations.
Which famous players have played in the AFCON?
Samuel Eto'o, Mohamed Salah, Yaya Toure, Didier Drogba, Jay-Jay Okocha, Sadio Mane, Roger Milla, Ahmed Hassan, George Weah, etc, are some of the biggest names to have featured in the African Cup of Nations.
Which famous managers have managed in the AFCON?
Charles Gyamfi, Hassan Shehata, Herve Renard, and Avram Grant are some of the most famous coaches to have led their respective teams at AFCON.