The 34th Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) came to an end in Côte d'Ivoire with millions of viewers around the world shouting at TV screens, and an astonishing performance by Côte d'Ivoire both on the field as champions and off it as hosts.
The west African country beat Nigeria 2-1 in the final but the good news was bigger than the match. The group stage of the most important national tournament in Africa produced an average of 2.47 goals per game – the highest in the competition for over a decade.
Read more: Afcon's decision to allow 24 countries to play is paying off – and having dramatic repercussions
As a sports communication and African football scholar watching the matches, I’ve noted three particularly pleasing trends at this year’s event. African football revealed its depth of talent at a national level; refereeing was by and large fair; and a tough approach to broadcasting rights has paid off. The 34th Afcon attracted record TV viewership and, with that, most likely record revenue too.
Depth of talent
On the field, the 2019 decision by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) to expand the tournament from 16 teams to 24 is paying off. Critics had believed it would bring down the level of action because of the perceived talent gap between the top nations and the rest of the continent.
But if a read of the media around Afcon is anything to go by, results on the field proved the opposite. Upsets drove emotions and no doubt developed new fans, especially in underdog nations.
The eight teams to reach the quarter finals were different from the eight that reached the quarter finals in the previous Afcon. Although the two teams that ultimately played the championship game have now each won three editions of the competition, neither was particularly high on the list of likely winners when the tournament started.
The progress of the continent was underlined by accomplishments made by the likes of Angola, Mauritania, Namibia and Cape Verde. They overcame far better known countries to get to the knockout stage.
Video assistant referees
The use of video assistant referees (VAR) was instructive at Afcon. This is a system used globally where referees analysing television footage of the action are asked to rule on decisions.
Read more: Why African football fans should welcome video assistant referees at the World Cup
The use of VAR was roundly praised in Côte d'Ivoire compared to the kind of controversies over biased or incorrect VAR decisions in European leagues. Former UK player Gary Neville said that Europe had a lot to learn from Africa. Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho praised Afcon’s “unbiased” VAR decisions for
ensuring every team had a chance to perform at their best.
But it was not simply the use of VARs. The match officiating by on-field officials was credible, generating few controversies.
Record numbers
Caf boss Patrice Motsepe estimates nearly 2 billion people watched Afcon on TV. The previous record was at the last Afcon, where Caf reported 65 million viewers. The tournament was broadcast to 180 countries all over the world.
Market research analysis estimates this will translate to US$75 million for Caf. It wasn’t long ago that the confederation faced a financial threat over legal disputes between it and its broadcast partners.
The total revenue from this Afcon is expected to outstrip the US$125.2 million generated from all sources during the previous edition in Egypt.
The income from Afcon has enabled Caf to increase payouts to participants as well as to those in its other competitions. Afcon’s increased visibility means the rest of the world is starting to regard Afcon as a must-watch event.
Afcon 2025
These three trends taken together, the 34th Afcon appears to have been a pleasing sign of things to come for the tournament and with it the development and visibility of African football.
Read more: Morocco's fabulous football year – what's behind their success on and off the field
Morocco hosts the next Afcon in 2025. The north African country will use the opportunity to prepare for hosting some of the games at the 2030 men’s football World Cup finals.
Morocco, which has been a regular bidder to host the World Cup, has six venues ready for the next Afcon that have been serving as “home” venues for African countries that do not have approved grounds to host international games. Morocco’s readiness is not in question.