The Africa Cup of Nations Golden Boot race remains wide open heading into this weekend’s final and third-place play-off, with five players still mathematically in contention.
Morocco’s Brahim Díaz currently tops the scoring charts with five goals from six matches and has been a key figure in the hosts’ run to Sunday’s final against Senegal in Rabat.
Just behind him on four goals apiece are Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen and Egypt captain Mohamed Salah. The pair were unable to close the gap on Saturday after a 0–0 draw between their sides in the third-place play-off.
Salah, who was rested for Egypt’s final group-stage match against Angola, has now scored in four of his six appearances at the tournament. His total AFCON tally stands at 11 goals across five editions.
Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman and Morocco forward Ayoub El Kaabi are also still in the picture, with both players on three goals. El Kaabi is expected to lead the line for Morocco in the final.
Despite the tight competition, the all-time record for goals scored at a single Africa Cup of Nations appears safe. That benchmark remains Mulamba Ndaye’s nine goals for Zaire at the 1974 finals.
Cameroon’s Vincent Aboubakar came closest to matching that feat with eight goals at the 2021 tournament on home soil, but he was not selected for the 2025 edition.
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan and South Africa’s Benni McCarthy both scored seven goals at the 1998 finals, which remains the joint third-highest tally at a single tournament.
The Golden Boot has frequently been shared in AFCON history, including five joint winners in 2015 and seven players sharing the award in 2013, when three goals were enough to top the charts.
No player has won the Golden Boot more than twice. Laurent Pokou, Abdoulaye Traoré, Roger Milla, Samuel Eto’o, Patrick Mboma, Rashidi Yekini and Francileudo dos Santos are the only players to have claimed the award multiple times.
Eto’o remains the competition’s all-time leading scorer with 18 goals across his AFCON career.
Golden Boot winners at African Cup of Nations finals
| Year (Host) | Golden Boot Winner(s) | Nation(s) | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 (Sudan) | Ad El Diba | Egypt | 5 |
| 1959 (Egypt) | Mahmoud Al Gohari | Egypt | 3 |
| 1962 (Ethiopia) | Mohamed Al Badawi; Worku Mengistu | Egypt; Ethiopia | 3 |
| 1963 (Ghana) | Ahmed Al Chazli | Egypt | 6 |
| 1965 (Tunisia) | Abbrey Osei Kofi; Eustace Mangli | Ghana; Ivory Coast | 3 |
| 1968 (Ethiopia) | Laurent Pokou | Ivory Coast | 6 |
| 1970 (Sudan) | Laurent Pokou | Ivory Coast | 8 |
| 1972 (Cameroon) | Salif Keita | Mali | 5 |
| 1974 (Egypt) | Mulamba Ndaye | Zaire | 9 |
| 1976 (Ethiopia) | William Njo Lea | Guinea | 4 |
| 1978 (Ghana) | Phillip Omondi | Uganda | 4 |
| 1980 (Nigeria) | Segun Odegbami | Nigeria | 3 |
| 1982 (Libya) | George Al Hassan | Ghana | 4 |
| 1984 (Ivory Coast) | Taher Abou Zeid | Egypt | 4 |
| 1986 (Egypt) | Roger Milla; Abdoulaye Traore | Cameroon; Ivory Coast | 4 |
| 1988 (Morocco) | Lakhdar Belloumi; Roger Milla; Gamal Abdelhamid; Abdoulaye Traore | Algeria; Cameroon; Egypt; Ivory Coast | 4 |
| 1990 (Algeria) | Djamel Menad | Algeria | 4 |
| 1992 (Senegal) | Rashidi Yekini | Nigeria | 4 |
| 1994 (Tunisia) | Rashidi Yekini | Nigeria | 5 |
| 1996 (South Africa) | Kalusha Bwalya | Zambia | 5 |
| 1998 (Burkina Faso) | Hossam Hassan; Benni McCarthy | Egypt; South Africa | 7 |
| 2000 (Ghana/Nigeria) | Shaun Bartlett | South Africa | 5 |
| 2002 (Mali) | Patrick Mboma; Salomon Olembe; Julius Aghahowa | Cameroon; Cameroon; Nigeria | 3 |
| 2004 (Tunisia) | Patrick Mboma; Frédéric Kanouté; Austin Okocha; Youssef Mokhtari; Francileudo dos Santos | Cameroon; Mali; Nigeria; Morocco; Tunisia | 4 |
| 2006 (Egypt) | Samuel Eto’o; Ahmed Hassan; Francileudo dos Santos | Cameroon; Egypt; Tunisia | 4 |
| 2008 (Ghana) | Samuel Eto’o | Cameroon | 5 |
| 2010 (Angola) | Mohamed Nagui “Gedo” | Egypt | 5 |
| 2012 (Eq. Guinea/Gabon) | Manucho; Aubameyang; Drogba; Diabaté; Kharja; Katongo; Mayuka | Angola; Gabon; Ivory Coast; Mali; Morocco; Zambia; Zambia | 3 |
| 2013 (South Africa) | Mubarak Wakaso; Emmanuel Emenike | Ghana; Nigeria | 4 |
| 2015 (Eq. Guinea) | Bifouma; Mbokani; Balboa; Ayew; Akaichi | Congo; DR Congo; Eq. Guinea; Ghana; Tunisia | 3 |
| 2017 (Gabon) | Junior Kabananga | DR Congo | 3 |
| 2019 (Egypt) | Odion Ighalo | Nigeria | 5 |
| 2021 (Cameroon) | Vincent Aboubakar | Cameroon | 8 |
| 2023 (Ivory Coast) | Emilio Nsue | Equatorial Guinea | 5 |
