CAF puts three AFCON cycles on the market in global rights push

CAF has launched an invitation to tender for the global commercial rights to the 2028, 2032 and 2036 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.The package covers media, broadcast and sponsorship rights, giving bidders the opportunity to work across three editions of Africa’s leading national-team competition.Submissions will close on August 24 at 5pm Cairo time, with CAF seeking a partner capable of increasing global distribution, developing new revenue streams and raising the long-term value of AFCON.The successful bidder will work with CAF on the sale and delivery of media rights, sponsorship inventory and marketing assets across international markets.Packaging three editions together offers greater certainty than a tournament-by-tournament sale and gives the appointed partner a longer period to build broadcaster, sponsor and agency relationships.It also allows CAF to negotiate around the growth of AFCON rather than valuing each cycle against the most recent tournament alone.The tender follows the 2025 edition in Morocco, which CAF said generated more than 3.2bn television viewers and six billion digital views.Commercial revenue increased by 95% compared with the previous tournament, strengthening CAF’s case that AFCON is becoming a more valuable global property.The governing body ranks AFCON behind only the FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championship among international men’s football tournaments by audience scale.CAF is seeking to convert that reach into stronger rights income while improving the consistency and quality of coverage available to supporters.The process will test demand from international sports agencies, rights distributors and specialist commercial companies at a time when broadcasters are becoming increasingly selective over major sports investments.AFCON offers a concentrated schedule of national-team football, access to leading African players based across Europe and strong audiences across the continent and its global diaspora.A long-term partner could also help CAF expand distribution in territories where the tournament has traditionally relied on fragmented or late rights agreements.Income generated through media and sponsorship sales supports CAF competitions, member associations and football development programmes across Africa.The three-cycle structure means the selected company could remain central to AFCON’s commercial operation for a decade, although each tournament will require separate sales strategies reflecting changing media markets.CAF will now assess bids against their ability to maximise revenue, expand exposure and deliver a high-quality viewing experience before appointing its global commercial partner.