If you’ve been keeping up with the Africa Cup of Nations, you’ll by now be aware that the tournament has one overarching rule: AFCON doesn’t care about your favourites.

But this isn’t new. This is a competition that has always played by its own rules with little respect for the continent’s protagonists. And this year’s iteration hasn’t just kept up that tradition, it’s taken it to new heights.

Egypt, the country with the most AFCON titles in history, were held to a 2-2 draw against Mozambique - a team that’s yet to win an AFCON game in its history. That draw was just the second time Mozambique avoided defeat in the competition since 1996. The Pharoahs have also been eliminated by DR Congo - a side that hasn’t yet won a game in the tournament.

Ghana - who shockingly haven’t won a Nations Cup game since 2019 - lost 2-1 to Cape Verde in their opening match. They also threw away back-to-back two-goal leads, one of which included that Kudus masterclass against Egypt. 

Angola, the third-lowest ranked side in competition, forced a 1-1 draw with 2019 winners Algeria, topped their group and are now in the last eight. Namibia qualified for the knockout stages after their first-ever AFCON win against Tunisia. The evidence is abundantly clear: AFCON is not here to laud Africa’s biggest stars. 

Victor Osimhen, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané and Riyad Mahrez are the four most recent winners of CAF’s African FOTY award, and they’ve all been outshone by the most valiant underdogs.

To know about this competition’s infectious underdog spirit is to know about how Aristide Bancé developed superpowers when representing Burkina Faso. He was a journeyman at club level, playing for 22 teams in 13 countries, but turned into a boogeyman for his country.

In 2013, Bancé led from the front and his semi-final goal against Ghana helped the Burkinabé to their first-ever final in history. Before that, the West African side had been to eight AFCON tournaments, failing to win a game at seven of them.

It’s the way Cameroon stormed to victory in 2017 after its biggest players declined call-ups before the tournament. The likes of Joel Matip, André Onana, Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting and André-Frank Zambo Anguissa opted out in fear of losing their places in their respective club sides.

But that only paved the way for winger Benjamin Moukandjo, centre-back Michael Ngadeu and scorer of the winning goal in the final Vincent Aboubakar to carry the Indomitable Lions to their first AFCON title since Samuel Eto’o retired in 2014. Senegal, Ghana and Egypt were all licking their lips in the knockout stages only to find out they were on the menu.

Then we have Zambia’s win in 2012 to avenge the players lost in the 1994 plane crash. The 2012 edition was held in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, not far from the fatal crash site. After topping their group, Zambia dispatched Ghana 1-0 in the semis and beat a Drogba-inspired Ivory Coast in the final on penalties.

This is perhaps the finest distillation of AFCON’s allegiance to unsung heroes. Zambia’s story has redemption, David vs Goliath type wins and a poignant symmetry throughout. This was bigger than a footballing triumph. In a tournament underpinned by upsets, this remains the best example of AFCON’s appreciation for the overlooked.

It doesn’t matter how many top European clubs you’ve played for or how many medals you’ve won in your club career. At AFCON, everyone starts at zero. And that’s exactly why its stories are so rich. The competition’s imperfections are often used as a stick to minimise its credibility.

But the quality of the pitches (which have so far been much better than previous editions), the intense heat and the moments of madness create the perfect storm for Africa’s underdogs to show just how bad their barks and bites are.  

If you’re going to back a team at this tournament, pick one that has the least to lose.

‍@AhmedShooble

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Few teams epitomise this tournament’s disregard for big names like Equatorial Guinea, though. While they were eliminated by Guinea in the round of 16, they still finished top in a group that includes heavy hitters Nigeria and Ivory Coast – two countries that have won more AFCONs combined (five) than Equatorial Guinea has tournament appearances (four).

Tournament hosts, Ivory Coast, very narrowly avoided the shame of having to watch the rest of the tournament from home after losing 4-0 to The National Thunders. What was supposed to be a routine end to the group stages for the Ivorians, turned into Equatorial Guinea’s biggest win in international history. A series of events that only a deeply humbling competition like AFCON can conjure.

But the cherry on this very layered cake comes in the form of Emilio Nsue - EQ’s great equaliser. Still the tournament’s top scorer plays right-back for his club side CF Intercity in Spain’s third-tier. Where else would a defender not only get the opportunity to lead the line for their country, but take the chances so well?

Going from arguably one of the most selfless positions on the pitch, to the main character is a transition that simply isn’t supposed to happen. And yet the 34-year-old’s hat-trick against the Ivory Coast was the first to be scored at AFCON for 16 years – besting seasoned bagsmen like Didier Drogba.

AFCON’s script writers love to reward the sleeper picks. It has introduced us to countless stories of redemption and promises to put all teams on a level playing field. Egypt might have had Salah and Ghana might have had Kudus, but Cape Verde has 33-year-old former Manchester United winger Bebé. Guess who out of those three scored a free-kick from 40 yards?

The Blue Sharks, whose country has a population of just under 600,000, have qualified for the quarter-finals after going unbeaten as group winners. Mauritania made the Round of 16 after their only AFCON win in history against 2019 winners Algeria.

This tournament doesn’t pamper heroes, it creates them against all odds. Countries who were happy enough to qualify are giving future generations a reason to dream. After all, these silent assassins are following in the footsteps of those who forced their way into AFCON’s steeped lore.