The 1986 African Cup of Nations was the 15th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, a football championship of Africa (CAF).

Just like in 1984, the field of eight teams was split into two groups of four.

Egypt won its third championship, beating Cameroon on penalty kicks 5–4 after a goalless draw.

The 8 qualified teams are: The competition was played in two venues in Cairo and Alexandria.

If two or more teams finished level on points after completion of the group matches, the following tie-breakers were used to determine the final ranking: