The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced a 90 per cent surge in commercial revenue from the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), describing the Morocco-hosted tournament as the most commercially successful in the competition’s history.
The disclosure was made in a CAF statement and corroborated by a Reuters report dated January 16, 2026.
CAF attributed the sharp increase to stronger media rights deals, a growing sponsor base, and expansion into new international markets, particularly Asia, signalling AFCON’s rising global appeal.
According to CAF, the number of commercial partners has grown steadily over recent editions of the tournament:
- Nine Sponsors in AFCON 2021
- 17 sponsors at the 2023 finals in the Ivory Coast
- 23 sponsors confirmed for the 2025 tournament in Morocco
“This expansion reflects both the attraction of new global brands and the retention of existing partners, for whom AFCON has delivered strong returns on investment,” CAF said.
The football body also highlighted wider broadcast distribution, including new television deals in Asia, as a major driver of the revenue growth.
While CAF did not release exact figures for the current tournament, its most recent financial disclosures show:
- $96 million in net contract revenue from the previous AFCON
- A projection of about $114 million in net profit from the Morocco-hosted edition
These figures underline AFCON’s growing importance as CAF’s largest revenue-generating competition, compared to earlier tournaments that struggled with sponsorship depth and limited broadcast reach.
CAF said its push into Asia has helped diversify revenue sources beyond Africa and Europe, reducing reliance on traditional markets and strengthening the tournament’s commercial resilience.
