| Tourney Name: | African Cup of Nations |
| Year: | 1959 |
| Other Titles: | كأس أمم أفريقيا 1959 |
| Size: | 200px |
| Country: | United Arab Republic |
| Dates: | 22–29 May |
| Num Teams: | 3 |
| Venues: | 1 |
| Cities: | 1 |
| Champion: | United Arab Republic |
| Count: | 2 |
| Second: | Sudan |
| Second-Flagvar: | 1956 |
| Third: | Ethiopia |
| Third-Flagvar: | 1897 |
| Matches: | 3 |
| Goals: | 8 |
| Attendance: | 80000 |
| Top Scorer: | Mahmoud El-Gohary (3 goals) |
| Player: | Ad-Diba |
| Prevseason: | 1957 |
| Nextseason: | 1962 |
The 1959 African Cup of Nations was the second edition of the Africa Cup of Nations,[1] [2] the football championship between the national teams of Africa, organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). It was hosted and won by the United Arab Republic, a sovereign union between Egypt and Syria. Only three teams participated: host team United Arab Republic, Sudan, and Ethiopia. All three matches took place in Cairo.
With only three teams, the format changed into a round robin group, but the results were the same, the United Arab Republic won over Ethiopia 4−0 and over Sudan 2−1. The Sudanese finished second, defeating Ethiopia 1−0.
Mahmoud El-Gohary, who would later become manager of the Egyptian team between 1988 and 2002, would be the top scorer of this edition of the tournament.
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearances in tournament | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hosts | (1957) | |||
| Invitee | (1957) | |||
| Invitee | (1957) |
See main article: 1959 African Cup of Nations squads.
| Cairo | |
|---|---|
| Prince Farouk Stadium | |
| Capacity: 25,000 | |
Win=2 Points----
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See main article: United Arab Republic v Sudan (1959 African Cup of Nations).