The African Cup of Nations is the most glamorous football tournament on the African continent.
Its 34th edition will begin on Saturday, January 13 and run through to February 11 with 24 country teams.
Apart from the prize money that comes with winning the tournament, the winner also have the opportunity to the coveted trophy.
Like every sports, a trophy symbolises champion spirit and also comes with a lot of history.
What is the worth of the AFCON trophy.
The AFCON trophy is among the most expensive trophies in the world as it is currently estimated to be worth around $150,000. It comes behind the Ballon d’Or and FA Cup trophies which are estimated at $600,000 and $1,180,000, respectively.
The FIFA World Cup trophy, however, tops all trophies with an estimated worth of a whopping $20,000,000
Since the beginning of the tournament in 1957, Three trophies have been awarded so far, with Ghana, and Cameroon winning the first two versions to keep after each of them won a tournament three times.
Ghana obtained the right to permanently hold the trophy in 1978, as the first winner of three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.
The original first trophy, made of silver, was the Abdelaziz Abdallah Salem Trophy, named after the first CAF president Abdelaziz Abdallah Salem.
The second trophy, named “Trophy of African Unity” or “African Unity Cup”was awarded from 1980 to 2000.
The trophy was given to CAF by the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa prior to the 1980 tournament and it was a cylindrical piece with the Olympic rings over a map of the continent engraved on it.
The piece, which later sat on a squared base and had stylized triangular handles would later be won by Cameroon indefinitely after they became three-time champions in 2000.
In 2001, the third trophy was revealed. It’s a gold-plated cup designed and made in Italy. It was first awarded in 2002 when Cameroon won the tournament.
Egypt later won the gold-plated trophy indefinitely after they became three-time champions in 2010.
However, unlike previous winners who would have then taken the trophy home, Egypt was presented with a special full-size replica that they were allowed to keep.
The winner of each edition, apart from the prize money has since then only received a replica whose dimensions are equal to that of the original trophy
The winner of the AFCON trophy in this edition which is being held in Cote D’Ivoire will go home with 7 million US dollars