The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has revealed the list of non-African countries that have purchased tickets for the upcoming AFCON 2025 during the first two phases of sales, offering surprising insights into the tournament’s growing global appeal.
According to moroccoworldnews, France, which has bought a staggering 109,237 tickets, is unsurprisingly on top of the list. Following France are:
Belgium: ~7,046 tickets
Netherlands: ~5,958 tickets
United Kingdom: ~5,127 tickets
Canada: ~3,849 tickets
Germany: ~3,056 tickets
Switzerland: ~1,714 tickets
United States: ~1,245 tickets
Spain: ~1,183 tickets
Italy: ~970 tickets
Now, this says two things. First, it shows there’s a massive appetite beyond Africa to witness football on the continent. And second, the diasporic ties are important.
What it means for AFCON 2025
The flood of international ticket sales is a pretty clear sign that AFCON is now even more than a regional tournament. It’s an event that is drawing in football fans from all around the world. And that a football tournament pushes diasporas to visit their home continent
READ: Africa: Over 5,000 Nigerian Fans Expected to Travel for AFCON 2025, Says Royal Air Maroc
CAF has told us previously that tickets have been sold to citizens from a whopping 135 countries during the first two phases of sales.
The tournament scheduled to be held in Morocco , from December 21 to January 18, 2026., As a result, it’s a bit more accessible for fans from France and other European countries, which may have helped drive the overseas sales figures.
But this influx of international fans could present its own set of problems, like how to manage visas, travel, accommodation and entry to the stadium. CAF has thrown itself into this with both feet, with a new digital ticketing and FAN ID system that’s designed to make things easier for all ticket buyers.
This initial burst of ticket sales is pretty telling. With 250,000 sold out of the 400,000 that were made available initially, AFCON 2025 is well on its way to setting some serious attendance records. So the atmosphere when the tournament kicks off in Morocco is going to be electric.
