The 2022 Africa Cup of Nations has progressed into the second round of group stage matches, and one name stands out above the rest on the goalscoring table.
Captain Vincent Aboubakar of host nation Cameroon is on a tear to start the tournament, scoring four goals in his country’s opening two matches to put himself atop the list of players in a typically low-scoring tournament.
His teammate, Karl Toko Ekambi of Lyon, is right there behind him, as Cameroon’s two matches have featured nearly one-third of the goals scored in the entire competition. Malawi’s Gabadinho Mhango, who plies his trade with Orlando Pirates in South Africa, is also on two goals after a brace against Zimbabwe.
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Liverpool star Sadio Mane has just one goal in two matches, and he and club teammate Mohamed Salah are still well behind if they wish to challenge for the top spot. Man City attacker Riyad Mahrez was also locked down in his opening match for Algeria, while Sebastien Haller was upstaged by his Ivory Coast teammate Max Gradel in the Elephants’ opening match.
AFCON 2022 Top Scorers
Below is the AFCON 2022 top scorer rankings featuring the 24 goal scorers in the tournament who have contributed all 29 total goals seen thus far.
As in the case of other international tournaments, players with the same number of total goals scored are ranked by total assists and then by fewest minutes played. When assists and minutes played are even, they are arranged in alphabetical order.
MORE: AFCON 2022 group standings
| Rank | Player | Country | Goals (PKs) | Assists | Matches | Mins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Vincent Aboubakar | Cameroon | 4 (2) | 0 | 2 | 167 |
| 2. | Gabadinho Mhango | Malawi | 2 (0) | 0 | 1 | 90 |
| Karl Toko Ekambi | Cameroon | 2 (0) | 0 | 2 | 139 | |
| 4. | Samuel Chukwueze | Nigeria | 1 (0) | 1 | 2 | 118 |
| Moses Simon | Nigeria | 1 (0) | 1 | 2 | 180 | |
| Ablie Jallow | Gambia | 1 (0) | 0 | 1 | 64 | |
| Max Gradel | Ivory Coast | 1 (0) | 0 | 1 | 71 | |
| Dawa Hotessa | Ethiopia | 1 (0) | 0 | 1 | 73 | |
| Ibrahima Kone | Mali | 1 (1) | 0 | 1 | 73 | |
| Aaron Boupendza | Gabon | 1 (0) | 0 | 1 | 79 | |
| Kelechi Iheanacho | Nigeria | 1 (0) | 0 | 1 | 80 | |
| Hassane Bande | Burkina Faso | 1 (0) | 0 | 2 | 94 | |
| Jim Allevinah | Gabon | 1 (0) | 0 | 2 | 103 | |
| Zakaria Aboukhlal | Morocco | 1 (0) | 0 | 2 | 115 | |
| Taiwo Awoniyi | Nigeria | 1 (0) | 0 | 2 | 154 | |
| Gustavo Sangare | Burkina Faso | 1 (0) | 0 | 2 | 159 | |
| Sofiane Boufal | Morocco | 1 (0) | 0 | 2 | 166 | |
| Ishmael Wadi | Zimbabwe | 1 (0) | 0 | 2 | 174 | |
| Julio Tavares | Cape Verde | 1 (0) | 0 | 2 | 176 | |
| Selim Amallah | Morocco | 1 (0) | 0 | 2 | 180 | |
| Andre Ayew | Ghana | 1 (0) | 0 | 2 | 180 | |
| Walieldin Khidir | Sudan | 1 (1) | 0 | 2 | 180 | |
| Sadio Mane | Senegal | 1 (1) | 0 | 2 | 180 | |
| Issiaga Sylla | Guinea | 1 (0) | 0 | 2 | 180 |
Africa Cup of Nations Top Scorers since 2000
This year’s current top scorer would already be the top scorer in six of the last 11 AFCON tournaments with Aboubakar scoring four goals in just two matches.
MORE: AFCON 2022 matches & highlights today
| Year | Player | Country | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Odion Ighalo | Nigeria | 5 |
| 2017 | Junior Kabanagna | DR Congo | 3 |
| 2015 | Ahmed Akaichi | Tunisia | 3 |
| Andre Ayew | Ghana | 3 | |
| Javier Balboa | Equatorial Guinea | 3 | |
| Thievy Bifouma | Congo | 3 | |
| Dieumerci Mbokani | DR Congo | 3 | |
| 2013 | Emmanuel Emineke | Nigeria | 4 |
| Mubarek Wakaso | Ghana | 4 | |
| 2012 | Manucho | Angola | 3 |
| Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | Gabon | 3 | |
| Didier Drogba | Ivory Coast | 3 | |
| Cheick Diabate | Mali | 3 | |
| Houssine Kharja | Morocco | 3 | |
| Christopher Katongo | Zambia | 3 | |
| Emmanuel Mayuka | Zambia | 3 | |
| 2010 | Gedo | Egypt | 5 |
| 2008 | Samuel Eto’o | Cameroon | 5 |
| 2006 | Samuel Eto’o | Cameroon | 5 |
| 2004 | Frederic Kanoute | Mali | 4 |
| Patrick Mboma | Cameroon | 4 | |
| Jay-Jay Okocha | Nigeria | 4 | |
| Francileudo Santos | Tunisia | 4 | |
| 2002 | Julius Aghahowa | Nigeria | 3 |
| Patrick Mboma | Cameroon | 3 | |
| Salomon Olembé | Cameroon | 3 | |
| 2000 | Shaun Bartlett | South Africa | 5 |