SENEGAL have beaten Morocco to win the 2026 edition of the African Cup of Nations on Sunday night. The team walked off with a total prize money of $10 million, leaving the runner-up and host Morroco with $4 million.
All the semi-finalists, including Nigeria, won $2.5 million each. The prize money, however, includes major commercial revenue from sponsors, broadcasters and marketing deals. This is one of the biggest editions in the tournament’s history, reflecting football’s growing commercial appeal in Africa.
The Confederation of African Football(CAF) said that the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco 2025, had become the most successful commercial venture in the history of African football, recording more than a 90 percent increase in revenue.
In a statement obtained from its website by the Punch, CAF said the achievement was driven by expanded sponsorship deals, broader media rights distribution and entry into new markets, particularly in Asia.
The Senegalese team
The body stated, “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.”
CAF further noted that the number of commercial partners increased from 9 during the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cameroon 2021 to 17 during the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Côte d’Ivoire 2023.
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“For the 2025 edition in Morocco, CAF has continued to attract more partners and now has 23 sponsors,” it said, stating that the expansion reflected both the attraction of new global brands and the retention of existing partners, for whom the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON had been an excellent return on investment.
“The TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations has recorded unprecedented commercial growth between 2021 and 2025, driven by a deliberate, data-led strategy that has repositioned the competition as a truly global football property,” CAF said.
CAF further said that audience research conducted after the last edition revealed untapped interest across several regions. It stated that the findings provided a clear roadmap for future commercial engagement, stressing that they informed the current cycle with targeted focus placed on regions demonstrating high engagement levels, including China, Japan, Brazil and key European markets.
CAF further disclosed that its sponsor base now covered multiple continents, with partners from the United States, China, Germany, Japan, Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire, the United Kingdom and Turkey, while the European Union had also joined as a sponsor.
Senegal win AFCON: How it happened
Meanwhile, Senegal were crowned champions of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 after edging host nation Morocco 1–0 in a tense extra-time final at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium on Sunday.
The match was marred by controversy late in regulation time when Senegal’s players walked off the pitch in stoppage time to protest a penalty awarded to Morocco in the dying moments of the game.
The decision stemmed from an incident during a corner kick in the eighth minute of added time, when El Hadji Malick Diouf was judged to have pulled Brahim Diaz by the neck. After a VAR review, DR Congo referee Jean Jacques Ndala Ngambo pointed to the spot, triggering angry reactions from the Senegalese camp.
Senegal coach Pape Thiaw instructed his players to leave the field following a heated confrontation involving the referee and Moroccan players. The impasse lasted about 13 minutes before Sadio Mane, Player of the Tournament, persuaded his teammates to return and resume play.
Just four minutes into extra time, Pape Gueye fired a powerful strike after a swift counter-attack orchestrated by Mane, stunning the home crowd. Senegal defended resolutely for the remainder of the contest to secure the victory.
Morocco failed to capitalise on the opportunity, as Brahim Diaz missed the penalty. The reprieve allowed Senegal to push the game into extra time, where momentum swung decisively in their favour.
The triumph sealed Senegal’s second AFCON title in three tournaments, reinforcing their status as one of Africa’s dominant football forces.
