This year's AFCON edition has brought about many surprises. One of them was Ivory Coast - the host nation - qualifying for the Round of 16 after a series of fortunate results. Les Éléphants had even dismissed their head coach; however, they managed to advance as one of the best third-placed teams in the tournament, with Emerse Faé as the emergent substitute.

Ivory Coast consolidated their miracle by eliminating the Senegal national team in a thrilling penalty shootout. The Lions of Teranga, led by Aliou Cissé, were the defending champions, having defeated Egypt in 2021. Following their exit in the Round of 16, the Senegalese joined a dishonorable list of AFCON teams that failed to defend their titles in the edition following their coronation. The other international squads featured in the 'championitis' plague include Algeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Zambia.

AFCON 2021/ALGERIA In the last AFCON edition, Algeria was the defending champion; however, The Desert Foxes failed to advance from the group stage, finishing last in Group E with just one point, courtesy of a goalless draw against Sierra Leone. The rest of the group comprised Ivory Coast and Equatorial Guinea.

AFCON 2019/CAMEROON The 2019 edition, held in Egypt, saw the Cameroon national team fall in the Round of 16 against Nigeria on July 6 in a match that ended 3-2 in favor of the Super Eagles. The Indomitable Lions had a moderately acceptable performance in Group F, where they finished second behind Ghana. The rest of the group comprised the teams of Benin and Guinea-Bissau.

AFCON 2017/IVORY COAST Les Élephants entered the Africa Cup of Nations edition held in Gabon as champions; however, an irregular group stage led to their elimination before they could qualify for the Round of 16. Ivory Coast managed to gather only 2 points after a goalless draw with Togo and another 2-2 draw with the Democratic Republic of Congo. Their 1-0 defeat against Morocco resulted in a negative goal difference, preventing them from advancing as one of the best third-placed teams, unlike this year.

AFCON 2015/NIGERIA The 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, held in Gabon, witnessed an unusual situation when the defending champion, Nigeria, couldn't even advance from the qualifying stage. The Super Eagles failed to defend their crown after garnering only 8 points in the qualifying round, where they shared Group A with South Africa, Congo, and Sudan.

AFCON 2013/ZAMBIA The Chipolopolo entered South Africa with the hope of defending their first title as champions, which they won a year earlier against Ivory Coast; however, their performance was not commendable. Zambia shared Group C with Burkina Faso, Nigeria, and Ethiopia and only managed to collect 3 points, resulting from drawing all their games. They achieved two 1-1 draws against Nigeria and Ethiopia and a goalless draw against Burkina Faso. Unlike other cases on the list, their exit in the group stage was because, in those years, there were no qualifications for the best third-placed teams, as teams advanced directly to the quarterfinals.