The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament made a big splash this year, attracting a cumulative global audience of more than 1.4 billion viewers.
According to ExpressVPN, that made AFCON the seventh most-watched sports event of 2024. The tournament is in good company judging by the top ten:
- UEFA European Championship
- Summer Olympic Games
- Tour de France
- ICC Men’s T20 World Cup
- Australian Open Tennis
- Wimbledon Tennis Championships
- Africa Cup of Nations
- UEFA Champions League
- Copa America
- NFL Super Bowl LVIII
AFCON makes its mark globally
AFCON’s global reputation has undoubtedly grown in recent years. Once dismissed as in irrelevance in certain quarters, the tournament is now a big deal.
Garnering more viewers than the UEFA Champions League is no mean feat given the popularity of the clubs which feature in the competition.
The tournament’s reach was boosted significantly by broadcast expansion, with tournament organisers securing 65 percent more television partners for the latest edition.
The BBC, beIN Sports, Canal+, Sky Sports and New World TV were among the organisations which jumped on the AFCON bandwagon, highlighting its growing appeal.
SuperSport became a go-to streaming platform for many fans, reaching a unique audience of 3.7 million viewers and covering 70% of the broadcast hours.
The semi-final between Nigeria and South Africa was particularly noteworthy, attracting a unique audience of 10.3m viewers – new viewership record for the tournament.
The tournament also generated 2.1bn digital engagements on social media, while 3.1bn views on TikTok videos further highlighted the increased importance of short-form content.
Organisers will be expecting even higher numbers in 2025 when Morocco hosts the continent’s premier football tournament for the second time in its history.
The Atlas Lions became the first African nation to reach the World Cup semi-finals in 2022 and will be eager to make their mark on home soil next year.
Morocco’s selection as the host for the next AFCON was no surprise given their recent track record of staging major football tournaments.
With a state-of-the-art infrastructure and passionate football culture, the stage is set for AFCON to hit new heights when the tournament gets underway.
However, while AFCON organisers can bask in the glory of a job well done, they still have work to do to match their European counterparts.
The 2024 UEFA European Championship in Germany garnered a cumulative global audience of over five billion viewers, many of whom engaged with the tournament on streaming platforms.
The final between Spain and England recorded a peak audience of 24.2 million viewers across the BBC and ITV in the United Kingdom alone.
Around 2.67m spectators filled the stands over the 51 matches, smashing the previous record of 2.43m fans set at Euro 2016 in France.
The 2023/24 UEFA Champions League also recorded impressive numbers, with CBS and Paramount+ in the United States reporting record-breaking streaming numbers throughout the season.
Viewership increased as the competition progressed, culminating with a cumulative global audience of over 450m viewers tuning in for the final.
They witnessed Real Madrid claiming the prestigious trophy for a record-extending 15th time courtesy of a 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium.
The final word
AFCON’s presence at number seven in the list of most-watched events of 2024 is unquestionably a major achievement for a tournament that is often derided for its impact on the global football calendar.
