The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations will see one team crowned continental kings after a month of action in Morocco.
Defending champions Ivory Coast are among the top contenders for the trophy, thanks in part to a wealth of goal-scoring talent at their disposal, including Manchester United‘s Amad Diallo.
The competition is replete with elite forwards. Nigeria boast Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman, Egypt have Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush, Bryan Mbeumo is Cameroon’s biggest threat, and Nicolas Jackson is one of several top attacking talents at Senegal’s disposal.
This makes the race for the golden boot, given to the top goal-scorer throughout AFCON, an exciting one. The Sporting News will keep the below standings fully up to date between now and the final on January 18.
MORE: Full bracket and match schedule for 2025 AFCON
AFCON Golden Boot: Updated standings for top goal scorers
Table updated after all matches on Tuesday, December 30
| Rank | Player | Team | Goals (penalties) | Assists | Games played |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Riyad Mahrez | Algeria | 3 (1) | 0 | 2 |
| = | Ayoub El Kaabi | Morocco | 3 (0) | 0 | 3 |
| = | Brahim Diaz | Morocco | 3 (1) | 0 | 3 |
| 4. | Ademola Lookman | Nigeria | 2 (0) | 2 | 2 |
| = | Lyle Foster | South Africa | 2 (0) | 2 | 3 |
| = | Gael Kakuta | DR Congo | 2 (1) | 1 | 1 |
| = | Cherif Ndiaye | Senegal | 2 (1) | 0 | 2 |
| = | Raphael Onyedika | Nigeria | 2 (0) | 0 | 1 |
| = | Nicolas Jackson | Senegal | 2 (0) | 0 | 2 |
| = | Amad Diallo | Ivory Coast | 2 (0) | 0 | 2 |
| = | Mohamed Salah | Egypt | 2 (1) | 0 | 2 |
| = | Elias Achouri | Tunisia | 2 (0) | 0 | 3 |
| = | Oswin Appollis | South Africa | 2 (1) | 0 | 3 |
| = | Lassine Sinayoko | Mali | 2 (1) | 0 | 3 |
Assists serve as the first tiebreaker.
MORE: Nations with most AFCON titles in history
Who won the AFCON 2023 Golden Boot?
The winner of the Golden Boot at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations was Emilio Nsue of Equatorial Guinea.
Nsue’s five goals in four games was unmatched by the continent’s finest strikers even though his nation were eliminated in the Round of 16. For a then-34-year-old who has spent much of his career as a right-back, it was an impressive haul.
| Rank | Player | Team | Goals (Penalties) | Assists | Games Played |
| 1. | Emilio Nsue | Equatorial Guinea | 5 (0) | 0 | 4 |
| 2. | Gelson Dala | Angola | 4 (0) | 1 | 5 |
| = | Mohamed Mustafa | Egypt | 4 (0) | 1 | 4 |
| 4. | Baghdad Bounedjah | Algeria | 3 (0) | 0 | 3 |
| = | Mabululu | Angola | 3 (1) | 0 | 5 |
| = | Lassine Sinayoko | Mali | 3 (0) | 0 | 5 |
| = | Bertrand Traore | Burkina Faso | 3 (2) | 0 | 4 |
| = | Ademola Lookman | Nigeria | 3 (0) | 1 | 6 |
| = | Mohamed Bayo | Guinea | 3 (1) | 0 | 5 |
AFCON Golden Boot winners all-time
Below are the winners of the Golden Boot at each Africa Cup of Nations.
| Year | Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Ad-Diba | Egypt | 5 |
| 1959 | Mahmoud El-Gohary | Egypt | 3 |
| 1962 | Mengistu Worku/Badawi Abdel Fattah | Ethiopia/Egypt | 3 |
| 1963 | Hassan El-Shazly | Egypt | 6 |
| 1965 | Ben Acheampong/Osei Kofi/Eustache Mangle | Ghana/Ghana/Ivory Coast | 3 |
| 1968 | Laurent Pokou | Ivory Coast | 6 |
| 1970 | Laurent Pokou | Ivory Coast | 8 |
| 1972 | Salif Keita | Mali | 5 |
| 1974 | Pierre Ndaye Mulamba | DR Congo | 9 |
| 1976 | Mamadou Aliou Keita | Guinea | 4 |
| 1978 | Phillip Omondi/Opoku Afriyie/Segun Odegbami | Uganda/Ghana/Nigeria | 3 |
| 1980 | Khaled Labied/Segun Odegbami | Morocco/Nigeria | 3 |
| 1982 | George Alhassan | Ghana | 4 |
| 1984 | Taher Abouzaid | Egypt | 4 |
| 1986 | Roger Milla | Cameroon | 4 |
| 1988 | Lakhdar Belloumi/Roger Milla/Abdoulaye Traore/Gamal Abdelhamid | Algeria/Cameroon/Ivory Coast/Egypt | 2 |
| 1990 | Djamel Menad | Algeria | 4 |
| 1992 | Rashidi Yekini | Nigeria | 4 |
| 1994 | Rashidi Yekini | Nigeria | 5 |
| 1996 | Kalusha Bwalya | Zambia | 5 |
| 1998 | Hossam Hassan/Benni McCarthy | Egypt/South Africa | 7 |
| 2000 | Shaun Bartlett | South Africa | 5 |
| 2002 | Patrick Mboma/Salomon Olembe/Julius Aghahowa | Cameroon/Cameroon/Nigeria | 3 |
| 2004 | Patrick Mboma/Frederic Kanoute/Youssef Mokhtari/Jay-Jay Okocha/Francileudo Santos | Cameroon/Mali/Morocco/Nigeria/Tunisia | 4 |
| 2006 | Samuel Eto’o | Cameroon | 5 |
| 2008 | Samuel Eto’o | Cameroon | 5 |
| 2010 | Mohamed Nagy | Egypt | 5 |
| 2012 | Manucho/Didier Drogba/Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang/Cheick Diabate/Houssine Kharja/Christopher Katongo/Emmanuel Mayuka | Angola/Ivory Coast/Gabon/Mali/Morocco/Zambia/Zambia | 3 |
| 2013 | Mubarak Wakaso/Emmanuel Emenike | Ghana/Nigeria | 4 |
| 2015 | Thievy Bifouma/Dieumerci Mbokani/Javier Balboa/Andre Ayew/Ahmed Akaichi | Congo/DR Congo/Equatorial Guinea/Ghana/Tunisia | 3 |
| 2017 | Junior Kabananga | DR Congo | 3 |
| 2019 | Odion Ighalo | Nigeria | 5 |
| 2021 | Vincent Aboubakar | Cameroon | 8 |
| 2023 | Emilio Nsue | Equatorial Guinea | 5 |
Who has scored the most goals in AFCON history?
The player with the most goals at the men’s Africa Cup of Nations is Samuel Eto’o. The former Cameroon striker scored 18 goals in 29 matches across six tournaments, winning the trophy in 2000 and 2002.
The active player closest to that record is Andre Ayew, who has 10 goals in 36 games, but he will not add to that tally this year as Ghana failed to qualify.
Top goal-scorers in AFCON history
| Rank | Player | Team | Matches | Tournaments | Goals scored |
| 1. | Samuel Eto’o | Cameroon | 29 | 6 (2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010) | 18 |
| 2. | Laurent Pokou | Ivory Coast | 12 | 4 (1968, 1970, 1974, 1980) | 14 |
| 3. | Rashidi Yekini | Nigeria | 20 | 4 (1988, 1990, 1992, 1994) | 13 |
| 4. | Hassan El-Shazly | Egypt | 8 | 3 (1963, 1970, 1974) | 12 |
| 5. | Patrick Mboma | Cameroon | 17 | 4 (1998, 2000, 2002, 2004) | 11 |
| = | Hossam Hassan | Egypt | 21 | 7 (1986, 1988, 1992, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2006) | 11 |
| = | Didier Drogba | Ivory Coast | 24 | 5 (2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013) | 11 |
