The 2025 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will be remembered not only for its footballing spectacle but for its emergence as the most commercially successful tournament in African football history.
The tournament’s defining image remains the dramatic night in Rabat, where Senegal stunned hosts Morocco 1-0 in a final filled with tension, controversy and raw emotion.
Yet, beyond the chaos of that unforgettable night, AFCON 2025 quietly redefined the business potential of African football, particularly the flagship AFCON tournament.
Played before a fiercely partisan crowd at the 69,500-capacity Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, the final between Senegal and Morocco unfolded like a pressure test for both teams and tournament organisers, particularly the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The prowling Teranga Lions stared down a hostile environment, a controversial VAR decision, and the crushing weight of expectation placed on the Atlas Lions, who were chasing a first continental title in half a century.
Mane’s quiet authority
Injury-time drama erupted when a disputed penalty decision in the dying embers of regulation time triggered a brief walk-off by the Senegal players, threatening to plunge the showpiece match into crisis.
In that moment of uncertainty, Senegal’s captain, Sadio Mané, emerged as the calm centre of influence.
Without wild gestures or theatrics, the influential Senegal captain exercised quiet authority, persuading his protesting teammates back onto the field to respect the contest and see the battle through “like soldiers on a warfront”.
It was leadership defined by restraint, composure and credibility — qualities that ultimately steadied Senegal when the pressure peaked.
For Morocco, the agony that followed was immediate and unforgiving. With victory within touching distance, Brahim Díaz made a poor attempt at a Panenka-style penalty that sailed into the waiting hands of goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, sending his teammates, officials and the home crowd into disbelief.
For Senegal players and fans, it was poetic justice as they enjoyed reprieve, got reinvigorated, and seized the psychological advantage. In extra time, Pape Gueye struck a decisive winner that silenced Rabat and sealed one of the most exhilarating finals in AFCON history.
Yet beyond the sporting drama before a global audience, the 2025 AFCON delivered an even more compelling story commercially, one written in balance sheets, broadcast metrics and long-term strategic positioning.
Billion-Euro economic statement
According to Morocco’s Minister of Industry and Trade, Ryad Mezzour, the tournament generated direct revenues in excess of €1 billion, comfortably surpassing the cost of hosting the tournament.
Speaking to France 24, the minister highlighted tourism inflows, visiting supporters, hospitality spending and increased domestic consumption as the principal revenue drivers.
For Morocco, the AFCON was not a cost centre but an economic multiplier. Hotels operated at near-capacity levels, transport services experienced sustained demand, and retail activity surged across host cities.
These outcomes reinforced the case for major sporting events as viable economic investments rather than prestige-driven expenditures.
Crucially, the tournament also functioned as a large-scale operational rehearsal for Morocco’s co-hosting role at the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
From stadium readiness and transport logistics to broadcast delivery and fan management, the 2025 AFCON strengthened Morocco’s credentials as a reliable host of global sporting events.
CAF’s commercial success
At the continental level, AFCON 2025 has emerged as CAF’s most lucrative competition to date, with revenues from the tournament reportedly increasing by over 90 per cent compared to previous editions.
This growth reflects a deliberate shift in CAF’s commercial strategy, anchored on expanded partnerships, broader media distribution and disciplined market targeting.
One of the clearest indicators of this evolution has been the steady expansion of CAF’s sponsor portfolio.
In 2021, during the AFCON staged in Cameroun, the competition had nine commercial partners.
That number rose to 17 for the 2023 edition in Côte d’Ivoire. By the time Morocco hosted in 2025, CAF had secured 23 sponsors — a near threefold increase within four years, comprising both new global brands and retained long-term partners who have found the AFCON as a strong return on investment.
Established partners such as TotalEnergies, Orange, Visa, PUMA, Tecno, Lonaci, and 1xBet maintained their association, while brands such as AGL, Danone, and Unilever renewed their commitments.
Data, markets and smarter monetisation
Behind the commercial surge lies a data-driven strategy that has repositioned AFCON as a global football property rather than a regionally confined tournament.
Following the 2023 AFCON, CAF commissioned extensive audience and market analysis to better understand consumption patterns, viewing habits and brand engagement across different territories.
The findings revealed strong but previously underexploited interest in markets such as China, Japan, Brazil and parts of Europe.
These insights reshaped CAF’s sponsorship targeting, broadcast rights distribution and content strategy for the 2025 cycle, ensuring that commercial assets were aligned with verified demand rather than assumptions.
It ensured the AFCON achieved wider global reach, deeper audience engagement and stronger commercial yields, particularly in non-traditional football markets.
Innovation through eSports
One of the most strategic developments of the AFCON 2025 cycle has been CAF’s entry into the eSports space.
Through a partnership with Konami’s eFootball, CAF introduced eAFCON, marking the confederation’s first structured engagement with competitive gaming.
The eAFCON is designed not as a novelty but as a long-term commercial and engagement pillar.
From the next AFCON onwards, digital and gaming assets will be formally integrated into CAF’s commercial inventory, opening new revenue streams while attracting younger, digitally native audiences across Africa and beyond.
The 2025 AFCON demonstrated that African football, when strategically managed, can deliver elite competition, commercial profitability and long-term development outcomes simultaneously.
With files from fifa.com, insidersport.com
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh