Every two years, the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON 2025 does something few sporting events can. It collapses borders.
For weeks, the continent moves together. Conversations shift. Daily routines bend around kick-off times. Songs, arguments and predictions spill out of homes, viewing centers, cafés, and streets. The tournament is not just watched. It is lived, negotiated and felt in real time across cities, villages and diasporic spaces.
Among the thousands who experienced TotalEnergies CAF AFCON, Morocco 2025 up close were hundreds of children aged 8 to 10 selected from Morocco and across the continent for Visa’s Player Escort Program. Walking onto the pitch alongside their heroes during opening ceremonies and knockout rounds, these young fans didn’t just watch history unfold, they became part of it. For many, it was the moment when the event stopped being something on a screen and became something they could touch, feel and carry with them forever.
Football has long been one of Africa’s most powerful cultural languages and also the world at large. At this tournament, that language becomes collective. Different histories, accents and styles meet on the same pitch, creating a shared rhythm that feels unmistakably African. The tournament is as much about expression as it is about competition. The way fans dress, chant, dance and gather are as important as the goals themselves.
While the tournament unfolded, that sense of movement extended beyond the stadiums. Fans traveled across borders, organized viewing experiences, and created spontaneous communities around the game. The momentum was visible. All host cities recorded higher inbound spending across visitor markets, with Rabat leading at +70%, Tangier at +55%, and Casablanca at +50%. What happened on the pitch clearly translated into energy across host cities.
Underpinning all of this is something often overlooked but essential. Infrastructure.
Visa’s partnership shaped this experience at multiple levels. As the official payment partner for ticketing and in-stadium transactions, Visa enabled the seamless flow that modern tournaments demand. From buying match tickets to making everyday purchases around stadiums and host cities, the systems Visa put in place allowed fans to move freely and confidently, turning logistical friction into fluid experience.
Spending patterns shifted during the tournament period, with sports‑related spending increasing by 45%, supported by higher fan merchandise purchases and increased activity in sporting clubs, particularly golf, swimming, and outdoor camps.
Everyday spending patterns also changed, with at‑home spending rising as delivered food and grocery purchases increased by 55% during the tournament period.
All powered by seamless payments, which may not feature in highlight reels, but shape how fans experience the tournament. Faster transactions mean less time navigating queues and more time engaging with the atmosphere. Secure and reliable payment options allow supporters to focus on the moment rather than logistics. In a tournament defined by movement, ease matters.
The TotalEnergies CAF AFCON has always been about more than football. It is one of the few events that consistently brings the continent into the same emotional space at the same time. It creates room for shared joy, collective frustration, and deep pride. That sense of togetherness is not accidental. It is built through rituals, infrastructure, and quiet systems that support mass participation.
As the tournament reached its final chapter, hosts Morocco carried the expectations of a nation and the energy of home support into Sunday’s showdown. Facing them were Senegal, runners up in 2019 and champions in 2021, returning with experience, belief and calm authority. When the final whistle blew, it was Senegal who lifted the trophy once again, adding another chapter to their growing African football legacy.
Yet long after the celebrations settled and the trophy was raised, what remained were the moments beyond the scoreline. The connections formed in living rooms and public spaces. The conversations sparked across borders. The children who walked onto that pitch, holding the hands of players they’d only dreamed of meeting. The ease with which millions of fans accessed the tournament, unhindered by payment barriers or logistical complexity. The shared feeling of being part of something bigger, where football once again brought a continent together.
The tournament reminds us that football is at its most powerful when it brings people together. Simple moments. Shared experiences. A continent connected, one match at a time.
