The 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) is much more than just a soccer tournament in Morocco. This is the culmination of decades of effort and a long-term strategy that has paid off as the country becomes one of the top destinations for major international sporting and cultural events.
Morocco uses soccer as a soft power tool, a way to gain influence and increase geopolitical credibility by linking sport, diplomacy, infrastructure building and big-picture national management.
Morocco’s preparations for the 2025 AFCON demonstrate a level of organizational maturity rarely seen before in African football. From stadiums to transportation systems, digital infrastructure, security and even broadcasting, the Kingdom is bringing the best of the game.
It is no exaggeration to say that Morocco today is truly in the same league as the leading European countries when it comes to hosting major international events. What sets it apart is not just its ambition, but its actual implementation of that ambition.
Through years of steady investment, we have built an entire system that allows us to hold big events on time and smoothly. Rather than a one-off initiative for one tournament, it is a permanent change in the way the country approaches itself, with the added goal of helping Morocco and Africa rise above their current commercial weight on the world stage.
AFCON is vision-driven rather than event-driven
“Saudi Arabia has been investing in modern stadiums and urban infrastructure for many years, not for AFCON, but as part of a broader national development strategy.” Omar Kyari saysadvisor to Fawzi Lekjar, president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation. “This country did not wait for AFCON or the World Cup to transform itself.”
In Mr. Kyari’s words, Morocco’s existing state-owned assets are real proof of its forward-thinking approach to long-term development. Supporting and guiding this forward-looking approach is “the long-term vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI,” Kyari explained, stressing that Morocco has a lot to show right now. Africa’s only high-speed train, Al Borak, makes traveling between Morocco’s major cities super easy. It also invested heavily in airports, highways and tourism infrastructure.
Additionally, there is a major ongoing project to build the Grand Stade Hassan II near Casablanca, which, when completed, will be the world’s largest football stadium with a staggering 115,000 seat capacity.
“These achievements demonstrate that Morocco’s preparedness is vision-driven rather than event-driven,” Kyari explains, explaining that AFCON is “therefore not a starting point but part of a broader continuum.”
AFCON 2025’s unprecedented scale of participants
AFCON2025 is break This completely redefines what is considered “normal” for tournaments.
Revenue and sponsorship
Projected total revenue: $192.6 million
Sponsorship: $126.16 million (66% of total revenue), more than double AFCON 2021’s $54.25 million sponsorship
Ticket sales: $19 million
Broadcast: $46.47 million (including a record-breaking 20 deals across 30 European territories)
team logistics
All 24 teams operate in dedicated five-star hotel-based camps with advanced training and medical facilities.
Prize money
Total prize money: $32 million: 43% increase compared to previous edition
AFCON 2025 winner: USD 10 million (in 2021 Cameroon received USD 5 million, marking an incredible 100% increase in four years).
Broadcast and media reach
For the first time in the UK, AFCON will broadcast all 52 matches for free.
Advanced broadcast technology used at every match: 4K HDR, drones and spider cams
17 apparel brands supply 24 teams, with PUMA lined up 5 teams
With the most extensive global coverage ever, the season opener will be shown in more than 180 territories.
These figures are the ultimate proof that Morocco conducts tournaments on a scale and standard unparalleled in the history of the continent. In fact, the CAF General Secretary hailed the tournament as “the best ever”.
Learning from global models
Other countries have long recognized that sport has strategic value beyond mere spectacle and short-term profits. These large-scale events are national investments in diplomacy, trade, and soft power. Perhaps more importantly, they are platforms for projecting influence, fostering collaboration, and generating long-term economic and social benefits. As such, it helps build global influence and social impact that lasts long after the trophy is hoisted.
Recent sports diplomacy meeting In Ottawa, Canadian officials explained how federal programs are helping cities and national sports organizations win the rights to host some of the world’s biggest sporting events.
As part of this support, some fairly rigorous requirements must be met, including a detailed assessment of how the event will impact the host country’s economy and a long-term plan to carry on the event’s legacy long after the event has ended. All of these requirements are designed to ensure that hosting the event is not just a symbolic trophy on a shelf, but actually brings real, tangible benefits to the country.
Morocco is following the same path. AFCON 2025 is likewise a strategic investment in Saudi Arabia’s international visibility, economic standing, and institutional credibility.
The country’s strategy is not to compete with other countries on the continent, but to elevate the continent. By hosting AFCON at this level, Morocco is changing the way African sporting events are seen on the world stage. This will help establish confidence in Africa’s organizational capabilities and demonstrate that long-term planning, organizational strength and political commitment can deliver world-class events.
The ripple effects will extend beyond Morocco. Other African countries now have a clear standard of what good management looks like in Morocco and are drawing inspiration from it. In this sense, AFCON 2025 is as much about reputation and power as it is about football.
Moreover, Morocco is already eyeing even bigger opportunities, such as co-hosting the 2030 FIFA World Cup. Looking further into the future, Morocco may one day be able to host the continent’s first Olympic Games, given its infrastructure, experience and organizational system.
Soft power through ability and continuity
Around the world, countries such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and China have recently shown just how sport can be used to completely change a country’s position on the world map. The Moroccan approach is similar, but it has to be a little different.
Saudi Arabia is certainly the first African country to build a national strategy around sport. Gradually and strategically, we are turning sport into an ongoing driver of growth and diplomacy. And the world will continue to be watching Morocco for years to come.
Morocco’s overall soft power strategy is less about grandiose actions and more about getting things done. We focus on being trustworthy and building serious trust. Saudi Arabia essentially cultivates lasting influence by consistently promoting high standards.
Beyond its sporting fame, this targeted influence also speaks volumes about Morocco’s larger geopolitical ambitions. By currently hosting the “best AFCON ever” and co-hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2030, Saudi Arabia is positioning itself as a bridge between Africa, Europe and the rest of the world.
AFCON 2025 is not a trial run to see how everything unfolds. That’s a very simple statement. What Morocco is really saying is that African countries no longer need to just dream of competing on the world stage. Many of them are already making their mark on the world stage in a wide range of fields, and countries lagging behind can draw inspiration from their high-performing fellow African countries to ensure that the continent continues to project itself and remain one of the protagonists of an emerging global story, rather than a supporting character or a wannabe.
