AFCON 2025: Fans rock continental showpiece with exciting spectacle

A defining feature of African football is its fans. How they show up, what they wear and how they celebrate. Beyond what unfolds on the pitch, the expression of culture by passionate supporters in the stands is an essential part of the African football festival.

At the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Africa has once again showcased its enduring love for both the game and its rich cultural identity.

Across the continent, the fan experience is not confined to the 90 minutes. It begins hours before kick-off and continues long after the final whistle, turning matchdays into all-day celebrations.

Moroccan supporters have moved in unison, bouncing and chanting as one, leaving stadiums reverberating as they urge their team forward with unwavering support. The sea of red filling the stands is a striking sight, while the chant of “Dima Maghrib” echoes across host cities on matchdays. Stadiums often begin filling up nearly three hours before kick-off, a tribute to the depth of local enthusiasm.

Thanks to the proximity of North African nations, Algeria, Egypt and Tunisia have also been strongly represented at the tournament.

For Egyptian fans, placards bearing messages to star player Mohamed Salah are a familiar sight. When broadcast cameras pan across the crowd, it is common to spot supporters dressed in regal attire, complete with crowns; a symbolic nod to their team’s nickname, the Pharaohs.

Algerian and Tunisian fans are equally relentless. Their chants rarely pause across the full 90 minutes, creating an atmosphere that feels capable of lifting the stadium roof. Flags wave continuously in their sections, with many supporters wearing the chechia, the traditional hat wrapped in national colours, as they cheer their teams on.

AFCON 2025: Full schedule, results, scores, and standings

A sense of unity in the stands

A viral moment at the 2022 World Cup captured the spirit of African football beyond borders. A Moroccan supporter was filmed celebrating alongside Senegalese fans in the stands, joining their dancing, chanting and jumping as the scene spread around the world. It became one of the tournament’s most memorable fan moments. At this year’s Africa Cup of Nations, the gesture resurfaced when Senegal faced Botswana in the group stage.

Senegalese supporters are unmistakable. Almost invariably, they gather in tight huddles, swaying side by side to the steady rhythm of drums that set the tempo for their chants. Some fans go further, painting their bodies in the national colours, with bold letters across their torsos spelling out the country’s name.

Senegal played all their group matches in Tangier, where their supporters quickly built a devoted following, drawing in Moroccan fans and neutrals alike. Their energy and colour became a familiar sight around the city, turning matchdays into celebrations that extended well beyond the stadium.

Now, with Senegal through to the final, that travelling support has shifted south to Rabat. Fans have been steadily arriving in the capital to soak in the atmosphere ahead of the showpiece occasion.

“We hope for a good match and that Senegal win the cup,” said one supporter in central Rabat. “We feel very involved here in Morocco and very welcome. We really want to win the trophy and take it back with us to Dakar.”

By contrast, Nigerian fans are often willing to sacrifice watching the game itself in order to create an intimidating atmosphere, even at neutral venues. Draped in green and white, they back the Super Eagles relentlessly, turning sections of the stands into walls of noise.

Ivorian supporters bring a different rhythm. Dressed in vivid orange, they favour a call-and-response style of chanting that ripples through the stadium. The bright colours are among the most visually striking sights of the tournament.

One Nigerian fan, Tunde, who travelled from home to Morocco for the matches, spoke with pride ahead of the semi-final against the hosts. “I love Nigeria,” he said. “What the team have done here in Morocco gives us pride. We struggled in the World Cup qualifiers, but we are here in our numbers to support our players.”

Before that semi-final, Nigerian and Moroccan fans came together to form an impromptu street party roughly a kilometre from the stadium, at the Rabat Riad train station, setting the tone for what followed inside the ground.

Elsewhere, Cameroonian supporters have added to the atmosphere with their music in the stands, while DR Congo fans have been among the loudest and most energetic, impossible to ignore once their matches get under way. Their presence has helped turn games into vibrant spectacles, driven as much by the noise in the stands as the action on the pitch.

In recognition of this, CAF has introduced a “Fan of the Match” award at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, celebrating the best-dressed and liveliest supporters at each game — a nod to the central role fans continue to play in shaping the tournament’s identity.

Bigger numbers at AFCON 2025

The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations has reached its business end, and attendance figures across stadiums have been strongly encouraging. In previous editions, AFCON has often struggled to attract fans, but as with the last tournament, Morocco 2025 has told a different story. Supporters have turned out in force, helping the competition set new benchmarks as it continues to break boundaries.

Total attendance during the group stage surpassed 700,000 spectators, a significant increase on the 643,000 recorded at the 2023 edition in Côte d’Ivoire. The opening round of matches drew 233,674 fans, rising to 274,374 in the second round, before 195,215 spectators attended the final round of group fixtures.

The most attended match of the tournament so far was Morocco’s group-stage clash with Mali, which attracted 63,844 fans. Overall figures underline the hosts’ drawing power, with Morocco recording the highest average attendance at the tournament, at 62,185. Senegal follow, with 41,672 fans attending their group-stage match against DR Congo.

Strong turnouts have continued into the knockout stages. The semi-final between Morocco and Nigeria at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat drew a crowd of 65,458. Nigeria were again involved in the third-place play-off, staged at a smaller venue in Casablanca, which still attracted more than 38,000 spectators.

With these numbers, total attendance at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations is on course to surpass the 1,109,593 recorded at the 2023 tournament, a nod to the growing appeal of the competition and the strength of fan engagement in Morocco.

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