This archive report was first published on 18 July 2019.
On Friday, Algeria and Senegal will become the eighth Africa Cup of Nations finalists to have met in the group stage at the same tournament, a matchup that has historically favored the eventual champions.
According to statistics, only one group-stage loser has gone on to lift the trophy when the teams faced each other again. This worrying statistic is particularly relevant for Senegal, who were beaten 1-0 by Algeria last month.
Historically, when teams have met in the group stage and again in the final, the eventual champions have won three and drawn three of the first meetings before going on to conquer Africa.
One notable example of this is the 1988 Cup of Nations, where Algeria edged Nigeria 1-0 in the title decider after thumping the same opponents 5-1 in the opening match.
Group B: Ghana 2 Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo) 1. Final: Zaire 1 Ghana 0 (1968)
Group A: Libya 2 Ghana 2. Final: Ghana 1 Libya 1 (7-6 penalties) (1978)
Group B: Cameroon 1 Nigeria 1. Final: Cameroon 1 Nigeria 0 (1984)
Group A: Algeria 5 Nigeria 1. Final: Algeria 1 Nigeria 0 (1988)
Group A: Egypt 3 Ivory Coast 1. Final: Egypt 0 Ivory Coast 0 (4-2 penalties) (2006)
Group C: Egypt 4 Cameroon 2. Final: Egypt 1 Cameroon 0 (2006)
Group C: Nigeria 1 Burkina Faso 1. Final: Nigeria 1 Burkina Faso 0 (2013)
Group C: Algeria 1 Senegal 0. Final: Algeria v Senegal, July 19 (2019)
