The Confédération Africaine de Football has strengthened its commercial strategy by appointing KONAMI Digital Entertainment as the official gaming sponsor of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) for the 2025 and 2027 editions. The agreement brings a significant digital component to Africa’s premier international football tournament at a time when African football is expanding its global footprint at unprecedented speed.
Under the deal, KONAMI receives exclusive gaming rights to integrate the Africa Cup of Nations into its global football game, eFootball. The partnership covers official tournament modes, licensed national teams, player likenesses, and themed digital content. The first phase of integration will launch on 11 December 2025, aligning with the lead-up to AFCON Morocco 2025.
CAF General Secretary, Véron Mosengo-Omba, said, “The TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 will be one of the most exciting and widely followed editions of our flagship competition. Our partnership with KONAMI reflects CAF’s commitment to innovation, global fan engagement, and creating new opportunities for African youth in both football and digital spaces.”
KONAMI Senior Executive Officer, Koji Kobayashi, added, “We are delighted to announce the establishment of a partnership with CAF. This partnership brings new possibilities to the gaming experience, and we are truly excited to deliver the passion of the African region-home to some of the world’s most powerful soccer nations, to fans around the globe through eFootball™, and this partnership opens up exciting new possibilities for the gaming experience. Through this initiative, we look forward to adding new African star players and tournament licenses such as TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, further enhancing the realism and excitement of eFootball.”
For KONAMI, headquartered in Tokyo, the agreement is a strategic upgrade in its long-running competition with other global football gaming franchises. For CAF, it marks the governing body’s most substantial move into gaming and digital entertainment, aligning with a broader industry trend where rights holders are using interactive platforms to reach younger, mobile-first fanbases and expand global visibility.
The 2025 edition of AFCON will run in Morocco from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026. The 2027 tournament will be hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, marking the first three-nation staging in the competition’s history. With KONAMI integrated across both cycles, AFCON gains a powerful digital extension that complements broadcast coverage and in-stadium activation.
The partnership signals CAF’s intent to modernize its commercial ecosystem, diversify revenue streams, and position African football at the centre of global digital engagement ahead of two landmark tournament years.