AFCON 2025: More Than a Tournament, A Maturing Global Sports Property
Gabriel Ajala
January 19, 2026
An insight-led overview of AFCON 2025, examining how Africa’s premier football tournament is evolving as a global media, commercial, and economic property. Includes analysis of broadcast reach, partnerships, digital engagement, and what the shift to a four-year cycle means for African football.
The Africa Cup of Nations has evolved far beyond a continental football competition. AFCON 2025 marks a pivotal moment in the tournament's journey, reflecting the growing commercial, media, and institutional maturity of African football on the global stage. Hosted by Morocco and staged for the first time across the December - January window, the 35th edition brings together elite sporting performance alongside expanding broadcast reach, rising prize money, and a more sophisticated partnership ecosystem.
Building on the record-breaking success of AFCON 2023, this edition demonstrates clear progress across key dimensions: wider international media distribution, improved broadcast production standards, deeper integration of commercial partners, and growing digital engagement from federations and fans alike. At the same time, AFCON continues to play a broader role beyond sport, acting as a platform for national branding, tourism promotion, infrastructure investment, and youth and ecosystem development across the continent.
As AFCON approaches a structural shift to a four-year cycle from 2027 onwards, the stakes for each edition are increasing. Scarcity, longer planning horizons, and higher expectations from broadcasters, sponsors, host nations, and fans mean that understanding the tournament as a market, not just an event, has never been more important.
Download the AFCON 2025 Market Intelligence Report
Our AFCON 2025 Overview Report provides a data-led, strategic analysis of the tournament's evolution. The report covers:
- Broadcast & Media distribution
- Partnerships & sponsorships
- Digital & social media performance
- Coaching and technical leadership trends
- Host infrastructure & event delivery
- Strategic implications for the next AFCON cycle
As AFCON approaches a structural shift to a four-year cycle from 2027 onwards, the stakes for each edition are increasing. Scarcity, longer planning horizons, and higher expectations from broadcasters, sponsors, host nations, and fans mean that understanding the tournament as a market, not just an event, has never been more important.
- Broadcast & Media distribution
- Partnerships & sponsorships
- Digital & social media performance
- Coaching and technical leadership trends
- Host infrastructure & event delivery
- Strategic implications for the next AFCON cycle
Download the full AFCON 2025 Report to gain decision-grade insights into Africa's premier football property and what its evolution means for federations, brands, investors, and policymakers shaping the future of African sport.
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AFCON 2025: More Than a Tournament, A Maturing Global Sports Property
An insight-led overview of AFCON 2025, examining how Africa’s premier football tournament is evolving as a global media, commercial, and economic property. Includes analysis of broadcast reach, partnerships, digital engagement, and what the shift to a four-year cycle means for African football.
