Senegal winners of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations AFCON final match between Senegal and Morocco at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, Morocco on 18 January 2026 ©Samuel ShivambuBackpagePix
Tuesday Mar 17, 2026. 11:00
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has reported a 61% growth in viewership for the recent 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
This is according to data collected by independent research agencies, CAF says.
Through CAF’s partnership with sports marketing agency IMG, the tournament saw a 50% increase in its number of international broadcast partners. Viewing reached Japan, China, South Korea, Mexico, Greece and Colombia for the first time, making the recent edition of the tournament the most widely distributed edition to date globally.
According to the continental federation, over 24 million people in Brazil watched the tournament and two million in Mexico. In addition, over three million people in the United Kingdom watched the final between Morocco and Senegal on Channel 4 while Germany recorded its highest ever viewing numbers for the competition with 4 million viewers.
The full report from 2025 AFCON is set to be released by Nielsen, an independent global research agency, in the coming weeks, CAF says.
The growth of the tournament’s viewing shows not only the development of a valuable, well packaged, entertaining product, but also the growth of African football itself and global interest in it.
By Nic Gleeson