CAF Launches eAFCON as African Football Enters eSports

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially unveiled eAFCON, a digital version of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations, marking the organisation’s formal entry into the global eSports and eGaming space.

CAF said the initiative represents a major pillar of its evolving commercial strategy and a move aimed at engaging younger audiences while diversifying revenue streams.

In a statement released on Friday, CAF said:

“A key new pillar of CAF’s commercial strategy has been the introduction of eAFCON. For the first time in CAF history, the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations has entered the eGaming space through a partnership with Konami, through its game eFootball.”

According to the continental body, eAFCON is being developed as part of broader efforts to expand CAF’s digital footprint, with a strong focus on the growing African and global eSports ecosystem, which CAF described as “a significant step for the African eSports ecosystem.”

CAF added that the digital assets generated through eAFCON will be integrated into its commercial portfolio.

The statement noted that these assets will “form part of CAF’s commercial assets inventory” from the next TotalEnergies CAF AFCON cycle.

The launch of eAFCON follows CAF’s recent commercial success, with the Morocco 2025 Africa Cup of Nations recording over a 90 per cent increase in revenues, driven by expanded sponsorships, wider media rights distribution and entry into new global markets.

CAF said: “The TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 is now undoubtedly the most successful commercial story in the history of African football as the commercial success of the Competition has led to over 90% increase in the CAF revenues for the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025.

This is driven by a significant increase in the commercial partners of CAF, an increase in media rights distribution and also CAF venturing into new markets most notably the Far East, China, Japan while also consolidating traditional markets.”

The body attributed the growth to the retention of long-term partners such as TotalEnergies, Orange, Lonaci, 1xBet, Visa, Tecno and Puma, alongside the attraction of new global brands.

By blending traditional football competitions with digital gaming, CAF aims to extend the reach of African football beyond stadiums and television screens, positioning the sport as a modern global entertainment and commercial product.