In 2025, Morocco achieved the highest revenues in the history of African football, solidifying the commercial transformation of the continental tournament.
The Confederation of African Football announced that the Total Energies Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 recorded the highest commercial success in the history of African football, with revenue from this continental event rising by more than 90 percent compared to previous editions. This remarkable development reflects the profound transformation the tournament has undergone in terms of economic management and sports marketing, making it one of the most attractive continental competitions on the international stage.
This significant increase in revenues can be attributed to several interrelated factors, chief among them the notable expansion of the commercial partnership portfolio, ongoing growth in the marketing of broadcasting rights, and CAF’s openness to new markets beyond the traditional sphere, particularly in East Asia, with a strong presence in China and Japan, along with the reinforcement of its positions in European, American, and Latin American markets.
The number of sponsors has seen unprecedented growth during recent editions, rising from nine sponsors in the Cameroon 2021 edition to seventeen sponsors in the Ivory Coast 2023 edition, and reaching 23 sponsors for the Morocco 2025 edition. This upward trajectory reflects the growing confidence of global brands in the marketing value of the Africa Cup of Nations, while also confirming the continued investment of historical partners in this event due to the extensive visibility and high return on investment it provides.
Between 2021 and 2025, CAF adopted a new approach based on data analysis and understanding global audience behavior, allowing it to reposition the tournament as an internationally relevant sports product. Following the conclusion of the Ivory Coast 2023 edition, CAF conducted an in-depth study on audience expectations across different continents, revealing strong and underutilized interest in several international markets, which provided a clear foundation for developing commercial strategies during the current edition.
These insights have guided sponsorship and broadcasting policies more precisely, with a particular focus on highly interactive regions such as China, Japan, and Brazil, in addition to strategic European markets. This has contributed to expanding the base of partners and enhancing the overall value of commercial rights.
Today, CAF’s sponsorship base spans several continents, including partners from the United States, China, Germany, Japan, Morocco, Ivory Coast, and the United Kingdom, with Turkey joining for the first time and the European Union adding its sponsorship to the portfolio, clearly indicating the growing international impact of the Africa Cup of Nations. Major companies such as Total Energies, Orange, L’Onasi, 1xBet, Visa, Tecno, and Puma have reaffirmed their commitments, alongside ongoing partnerships with global brands like AGL, Danone, and Unilever.
In line with the new transformations in the sports industry, CAF launched the eAFCON project, marking the Africa Cup of Nations’ debut in the world of esports and digital sports through a partnership with Konami and its eFootball game. This project is expected to serve as a new strategic lever for the African sports ecosystem, where digital assets will become an essential part of CAF’s commercial offering in future editions, enhancing the tournament’s appeal among youth and aligning with global trends in the sports entertainment economy.
With these indicators, the Total Energies Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 confirms that it is not just a continental tournament, but a pivotal milestone in the evolution of African football, embodying its transition to a new phase characterized by professionalism, innovation, and positioning within the global sports economy, exemplifying CAF’s transformation into a comprehensive international player in the sports industry.
