10.07.2019 16:29 h

Madagascar defy odds to reach Cup of Nations last eight

Africa Cup of Nations debutants Madagascar have defied the odds by reaching the quarter-finals of the 2019 tournament in Egypt, where they will play Tunisia Thursday.

Twenty-seven of the other 41 newcomers bowed out after the first round, including Burundi and Mauritania last month with neither managing a win in their three group matches.

Only three debutants -- Egypt, Ghana and South Africa -- have lifted the trophy that symbolises African national team supremacy at the first attempt.

Here, AFP Sport lists how countries fared when they debuted in a competition first staged 62 years ago in Sudan.