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What will Morocco gain from hosting the African Cup of Nations 2025? Here’s the answer.
Ousser Ahmed
Hosting the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 presents a significant economic opportunity for Morocco, but the real question is not just about the total revenues generated during the match days, but rather the net profit that will return to the national economy after accounting for capital and operational costs, as well as the nature of the revenue distribution from the tournament. In this report, we attempt to break down the numbers, clarify the revenue streams, and analyze the event’s impact in the short and medium terms based on available data and reports.
First — Where do the revenues come from? The revenues associated with the tournament are divided between what the Confederation of African Football (CAF) receives from broadcasting rights, sponsorship, and ticket sales, and what enters the local market in terms of spending by tourists and fans on hotels, restaurants, transportation, merchandise, and more. Broadcasting rights and sponsorship are typically accounted for in CAF’s financials or those of its commercial partners, while tourism and local spending represent the direct profit for the host country.
Second — CAF’s figures and expected profits. Specialized reports and media coverage indicate that the 2025 edition is the most commercially successful in the tournament’s history, with media predictions suggesting substantial total revenues and profits for CAF amounting to approximately $112.8 million, according to some reports that aggregated ticket sales and sponsorship deals. However, it’s essential to distinguish between CAF’s profit as an organizing/commercial body and what directly benefits the Moroccan treasury or economy.
Third — Ticket sales and public demand. Official data from ticket sales revealed exceptional demand: around 298,000 tickets sold in the initial sales phases, according to CAF announcements, with certain match categories selling out in later stages. Ticket sales boost the operational revenue of the competition and generate activity for the transport and hospitality sectors, but the distribution of these revenues between CAF and local entities depends on the terms of the organizing agreement.
Fourth — Impact of tourism: scale and efficiency. The most apparent result for Morocco is the increased visitor numbers and higher hotel occupancy rates. Data and tourism projects indicate that Morocco experienced a robust tourism resurgence in 2024–2025, with tourist traffic exceeding tens of millions, according to specialized agencies, making the local market more capable of accommodating additional fans during the tournament. In reasonable scenarios: if between 300,000 and 1,000,000 additional visitors enter the country, with an approximate individual spending average of between 4,000 and 10,000 dirhams, the total direct spending could range from about 1.2 billion dirhams to over 10 billion dirhams in the optimistic scenario—figures that illustrate the magnitude of the opportunity, yet do not represent the net profit for the state.
Fifth — Capital expenditures: investment or cost? Preparations have included updates and investments in transport and stadium infrastructures. Government and media reports have mentioned initiatives for upgrading stadiums and expanding airport capacity, with investment figures estimated in the billions of dirhams—among them projects reported in the media that refer to the allocation of approximately 5 billion dirhams for stadium and infrastructure projects. These expenditures reduce the net profit in the short term, yet are considered investments aimed at reinforcing Morocco’s ability to host larger events in the future (and thus long-term benefits).
Sixth — Who truly benefits? Hotels, travel agencies, restaurants, event service providers, and sectors linked to tourism and entertainment are the direct beneficiaries from the temporal influx of the tournament. The government benefits from a share of these gains through taxes and fees, as well as airport and border revenues, but the net share for the treasury is influenced by the level of government expenditure on security, logistics, and infrastructure. Meanwhile, CAF will continue to reap the largest portion of revenues from global commercial rights.
In summary, Morocco will economically benefit from hosting the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 through direct operational income and moderate to high gains for sectors related to tourism, hospitality, and services. However, the net profit for the state depends on the actual number of foreign visitors, their average spending, the proportion that remains within the local economy, and the extent of public capital expenditures. In the best-case scenarios, the event’s impact could reach hundreds of millions of dollars as a total economic effect; however, the direct net profit for the treasury is often lower and requires a unified official report for accurate calculation.
Final recommendation for observers and decision-makers: To turn the event into sustainable profit, hosting should be accompanied by clear policies: targeting the international tourism market post-tournament, transferring infrastructure gains towards sustainable tourism projects, and enhancing tax collection mechanisms on temporary activities. Most importantly: publish an official report after the tournament concluding the final figures for revenues, expenses, and the net impact on the national budget.
Sources used in the preparation of this report: CAF announcements concerning ticket sales, economic media reports about CAF’s expected revenues and profits, and tourism reports and statistics regarding visitor influx and infrastructure investments in Morocco.
