The Confederation of African Football has said that the recent Africa Cup of Nations recorded a 61 per cent growth in global viewership, positioning the tournament as one of the fastest-growing sporting events in the world.

CAF made the disclosure in a released on its website on Monday, ahead of the full report on the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025.

The full report is expected to be published by independent global research agency Nielsen in the coming weeks.

According to CAF, the surge in viewership was driven largely by record global coverage secured across major media platforms in Europe and other key markets.

“Preliminary research numbers released by independent research agencies have shown a 61% growth in viewership for the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025, making AFCON one of the biggest growing sporting properties globally,” the continent’s governing body said.

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In Europe, the AFCON final drew more than 3 million viewers in the United Kingdom on Channel 4 and over 4 million in Germany via Sports Digital.

In India, the final attracted more than 800,000 viewers on FanCode, marking a strong debut for the tournament in that market.

CAF also reported a 65% increase in media exposure for brand partners in Europe and South America, driven by its global media distribution strategy and expanded content production.

CAF’s partnership with sports marketing agency IMG resulted in a 50% rise in broadcast partners compared with the 2023 edition in Côte d’Ivoire.

CAF further explained that its global media distribution strategy, which included producing in-house shoulder content and distributing highlights, boosted brand exposure for commercial partners by over 65 per cent in European and South American markets.

The organisation also outlined several indicators reflecting the tournament’s expanding global appeal.

These include:

“50% increase in international broadcast partners since the 2023 edition of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations held in Cote d’Ivoire.

“A 32% uplift in media value for partners in the European market.

“A 35% increase in overall media rights revenue across South America, Europe and Asian markets for the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025.”