Sponsors

Abuja (January 16, 2026) (www.crestnewsonline.ng) The 2025 edition of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tagged “Morocco 2025” is now undoubtedly the most successful commercial story in the history of African football.

This is as the commercial success of the competition has led to over 90 per cent increase in the CAF revenues for the 2025 edition in Morocco.

This is driven by an significant increase in the commercial partners of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), increase in media rights distribution and also CAF venturing into new markets most notably the Far East, China, Japan while also consolidating traditional markets.

The growth has been matched by a steady expansion of the sponsor portfolio.

The number of commercial partners increased from nine during the 2021 edition in Cameroon to 17 during the 2023 edition in Côte d’Ivoire.

For the 2025 edition in Morocco, CAF has continued to attract more partners and now has 23 sponsors.

This expansion reflects both the attraction of new global brands and the retention of existing partners, for who the CAF AFCON has been an excellent return on investment.

AFCON has recorded unprecedented commercial growth between 2021 and 2025, driven by a deliberate, data-led strategy that has repositioned the competition as a truly global football property.

Following the conclusion of Cote d’Ivoire 2023, CAF undertook an extensive analysis to better understand audience demand across regions.

The findings revealed strong and previously under-exploited interest in several international markets, providing a clear roadmap for future commercial engagement.

These insights informed CAF’s sponsorship and broadcast strategy for the current cycle, with targeted focus placed on regions demonstrating high engagement levels, including China, Japan, Brazil and key European markets.

CAF’s sponsor base now spans multiple continents, with partners originating from countries including the United States, China, Germany, Japan, Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire, the United Kingdom and, for the first time, Turkey.

The European Union has also joined as a sponsor, underlining the competition’s broadened international appeal.

Long-term partners such as TotalEnergies, Orange, Lonaci, 1xBet, Visa, Tecno, and Puma have continued their association with the competition, while brands including AGL, Danone and Unilever have also renewed.

A key new pillar of CAF’s commercial strategy has been the introduction of eAFCON.

For the first time in CAF history, the CAF AFCON has entered the eGaming space through a partnership with Konami, through its game eFootball.

CAF is currently developing eAFCON, marking a significant step for the African eSports ecosystem.

From the next CAF AFCON onwards, these digital assets will also form part of CAF’s commercial assets inventory.

(www.crestnewsonline.ng)

*Edited by Olawale Lawanson Alabi