Morocco’s Brahim Díaz leads the scoring charts with five goals from six matches for the hosts, where he has been a driving force in their run to Sunday’s final against Senegal in Rabat.

Behind on four goals each are Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen and Egypt captain Mohamed Salah, who missed the chance to take over at the top when they played in a 0-0 draw between their sides in Saturday’s third-place playoff.

Salah, who was rested for Egypt’s final group match against Angola, has scored in four of his six appearances at the finals. His overall Africa Cup of Nations tally now stands at 11 goals across five tournament appearances.

Nigeria’s former African Footballer of the Year, Ademola Lookman, has scored three goals, while Morocco striker Ayoub El Kaabi, expected to lead the line in the final, is also on three.

Despite the tight race at the top, the record for the most goals scored at a single Africa Cup of Nations tournament does not appear under threat. That mark remains Mulamba Ndaye’s nine goals for former Zaire at the 1974 finals.

Vincent Aboubakar from Cameroon netted eight times on home soil in the 2021 edition but was not selected for 2025. That remains the second highest number of goals.

Egypt’s Hossam Hassan, coach of their team in Morocco, and Benni McCarthy from South Africa both scored seven times in the 1998 edition of the finals.

The Golden Boot was shared among five players in 2015, and seven players in 2013. On both occasions they netted three goals.

No player has won the award more than twice, with Laurent Pokou, Abdoulaye Traoré (both Ivory Coast), Roger Milla, Samuel Eto’o, Patrick Mboma (all Cameroon), Rashidi Yekini (Nigeria) and Francileudo dos Santos (Tunisia) all claiming it in multiple tournaments.

Eto’o heads the list of all-time Cup of Nations goals with 18.

1957 (Sudan) – Ad El Diba (Egypt) – 5

1959 (Egypt) – Mahmoud Al Gohari (Egypt) – 3

1962 (Ethiopia) – Mohamed Al Badawi (Egypt), Worku Mengistu (Ethiopia) – 3

1963 (Ghana) – Ahmed Al Chazli (Egypt) – 6

1965 (Tunisia) – Abbrey Osei Kofi (Ghana), Eustace Mangli (Ivory Coast) – 3

1968 (Ethiopia) – Laurent Pokou (Ivory Coast) – 6

1970 (Sudan) – Laurent Pokou (Ivory Coast) – 8

1972 (Cameroon) – Salif Keita (Mali) – 5

1974 (Egypt) – Mulamba Ndaye (Zaire) – 9

1976 (Ethiopia) – William Njo Lea (Guinea) – 4

1978 (Ghana) – Phillip Omondi (Uganda) – 4

1980 (Nigeria) – Segun Odegbami (Nigeria) – 3

1982 (Libya) – George Al Hassan (Ghana) – 4

1984 (Ivory Coast) – Taher Abou Zeid (Egypt) – 4

1986 (Egypt) – Roger Milla (Cameroon), Abdoulaye Traore (Ivory Coast) – 4

1988 (Morocco) – Lakhdar Belloumi (Algeria), Roger Milla (Cameroon), Gamal Abdelhamid (Egypt), Abdoulaye Traore (Ivory Coast) – 4

1990 (Algeria) – Djamel Menad (Algeria) – 4

1992 (Senegal) – Rashidi Yekini (Nigeria) – 4

1994 (Tunisia) – Rashidi Yekini (Nigeria) – 5

1996 (South Africa) – Kalusha Bwalya (Zambia) – 5

1998 (Burkina Faso) – Hossam Hassan (Egypt), Benni McCarthy (South Africa) – 7

2000 (Ghana/Nigeria) – Shaun Bartlett (South Africa) – 5

2002 (Mali) – Patrick Mboma (Cameroon), Salomon Olembe (Cameroon), Julius Aghahowa (Nigeria) – 3

2004 (Tunisia) – Patrick Mboma (Cameroon), Frédéric Kanouté (Mali), Austin Okocha (Nigeria), Youssef Mokhtari (Morocco), Francileudo dos Santos (Tunisia) – 4

2006 (Egypt) – Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon), Ahmed Hassan (Egypt), Francileudo dos Santos (Tunisia) – 4

2008 (Ghana) – Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon) – 5

2010 (Angola) – Mohamed Nagui “Gedo” (Egypt) – 5

2012 (Equatorial Guinea/Gabon) – Manucho (Angola), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon), Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast), Cheick Tidiane Diabaté (Mali), Houcine Kharja (Morocco), Chris Katongo (Zambia), Emmanuel Mayuka (Zambia) – 3

2013 (South Africa) – Mubarak Wakaso (Ghana), Emmanuel Emenike (Nigeria) – 4

2015 (Equatorial Guinea) – Thievy Bifouma (Congo), Dieumerci Mbokani (DR Congo), Javier Balboa (Equatorial Guinea), André Ayew (Ghana), Ahmed Akaichi (Tunisia) – 3

2017 (Gabon) – Junior Kabananga (DR Congo) – 3

2019 (Egypt) – Odion Ighalo (Nigeria) – 5

2021 (Cameroon) – Vincent Aboubakar (Cameroon) – 8

2023 (Ivory Coast) – Emilio Nsue (Equatorial Guinea) – 5