Ahmed Hassan Tops AFCON Quarterfinals: A Pharaoh’s Record-Breaking Run
9 January 2026
Ahmed Hassan's Quarterfinal Legacy
The Africa Cup of Nations archives are full of legends who sculpted moments of greatness, whether by scoring or by racking up quarterfinal appearances.
At the top of the all-time scorers list in this round sits Ahmed Hassan of Egypt with 4 goals, followed by 3 goals from Rashidi Yekini (Nigeria) and Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou (Ivory Coast).
In terms of most quarterfinal appearances, five players share the lead with six appearances each: Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon), Geremi (Cameroon), Ahmed Hassan (Egypt), Rigobert Song (Cameroon), and Yaya Touré (Ivory Coast).
Following them are players who appeared in five matches at this stage, including Riad Bouazizi (Tunisia), Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast), Essam El-Hadary (Egypt), Max-Alain Gradel (Ivory Coast), Asamoah Gyan (Ghana), Youssef Msakni (Tunisia), Joseph Yobo (Nigeria), and Didier Zokora (Ivory Coast).
It’s a lineup that reads like a who’s who of AFCON’s most influential quarterfinals moments.
Punchline time: If goals were jokes, Hassan would be the headlining act—the crowd would still be asking for an encore long after the final whistle. And if quarterfinals had a loyalty program, he’d have a gold card for free seats to all the big nights. (Yes, I just compared football to a club card—riotous, I know.)
