By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced that the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025 has recorded the highest revenues in the tournament’s history, achieving more than a 90 per cent increase and emerging as the most successful commercial venture in African football.
In a statement published on its website on Thursday, 15 January, 2026, CAF said the achievement was driven by expanded sponsorship deals, wider media rights distribution and deliberate entry into new global markets, particularly in Asia.
The body explained that these factors combined to significantly strengthen the commercial value of the competition.
According to CAF, the Morocco 2025 edition has “undoubtedly become the most successful commercial story in the history of African football,” adding that the strong commercial performance translated into a substantial rise in overall revenues for the confederation.
Explaining the drivers of the growth, CAF said the surge resulted from an increase in commercial partnerships alongside broader media rights coverage.
It further noted that its expansion into new territories, especially in the Far East including China and Japan complemented efforts to consolidate its traditional markets.
Meanwhile, CAF provided details of the tournament’s sponsorship trajectory, noting that the number of commercial partners rose from nine during the Cameroon 2021 edition to 17 at the Côte d’Ivoire 2023 finals.
For the 2025 edition in Morocco, the body said it has continued to attract more partners, bringing the total number of sponsors to 23.
CAF added that the expansion reflects both the attraction of new global brands and the retention of existing partners.
It said the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations has continued to offer sponsors an excellent return on investment, which has encouraged long-term collaboration.
Furthermore, the continental body disclosed that the commercial success followed a deliberate, data-driven strategy introduced after the 2023 finals in Côte d’Ivoire.
According to the statement, audience research conducted after that edition revealed significant untapped interest in several regions, which subsequently “provided a clear roadmap for future commercial engagement.”
Building on those insights, CAF said the current cycle adopted a targeted approach, focusing on regions demonstrating high engagement levels, including China, Japan, Brazil and key European markets. As a result, the tournament’s sponsor base has expanded across multiple continents.
On its widening global footprint, CAF disclosed that its sponsors now span the United States, China, Germany, Japan, Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire, the United Kingdom and Turkey, while the European Union has also joined as a sponsor.
It added that long-standing partners such as TotalEnergies, Orange, Lonaci, 1xBet, Visa, Tecno and Puma have maintained their association, with AGL, Danone and Unilever renewing their commitments.
Overall, CAF said the unprecedented commercial growth recorded between 2021 and 2025 has repositioned the Africa Cup of Nations as a truly global football property, reinforcing its growing appeal on the international stage.
