In the past, Africa Cup of Nations sponsorship followed a familiar script such as  pitch-side logos, TV commercials, and post-match promos. Despite that it is a biennial event, today, AFCON  is definitely  telling a very different story. Increasingly, brands are stepping off the sidelines and into the streets, transforming Africa’s biggest football tournament into a continent-wide engagement platform that lives far beyond the stadium.

With these,  brands are taking fan engagement to an entirely new level, moving past traditional sponsorships to create immersive experiences that resonate long after the final whistle. Football, long a unifying passion across the continent, is providing companies with fertile ground to build loyalty, spark conversations, and connect emotionally with consumers.

Beyond Beer and Broadcasts

Traditionally, beer brands such as Heineken and Budweiser set the benchmark for football-driven brand engagement, blending viewing parties with music, lifestyle experiences, and second-screen interactions.

This year, however, the playbook has widened. Mobile phone manufacturers, telecom operators, FMCG brands, and even local retail businesses are now shaping how fans experience AFCON in real time.

Notably, industry analysts note that this shift mirrors a broader global trend where brands seek experiential relevance rather than passive visibility, especially during high-emotion cultural moments like football tournaments.

Marketing studies by Nielsen Sports and Kantar consistently show that immersive fan experiences drive stronger brand recall than traditional sponsorship placements.

Heineken: Crafting Experiences That Celebrate the Game

Over the years, Heineken has consistently leveraged football to deepen its relationship with fans. During AFCON 2025, the brand has gone beyond conventional stadium branding by curating fan zones, interactive activations, and digital campaigns that bring supporters closer to the action.

By integrating virtual reality experiences and behind‑the‑scenes content, Heineken ensures that fans feel part of the tournament, whether watching at home or attending live matches. The approach reflects a shift from passive sponsorship to active engagement, where storytelling and experience become as important as logo visibility.

Budweiser: Connecting Through Shared Moments

Budweiser has taken a similar approach, focusing on shared social moments that extend beyond the stadium. Through pop‑up events, fan challenges, and limited‑edition collectibles, the brand is encouraging fans to celebrate victories and rally behind their teams together.

Budweiser’s campaigns emphasize inclusivity and community, creating spaces where fans can express their passion while associating the brand with joy, camaraderie, and memorable experiences.

Coca‑Cola: Touring the Nations, Building Memories

Coca‑Cola has intensified its presence during AFCON 2025 by taking fans on a national tour, engaging communities across host cities through activations, tasting experiences, and cultural events. This strategy extends the brand’s visibility beyond match days, embedding Coca‑Cola into local narratives and memories.

The FIFA World Cup  Trophy Tour by Coca‑Cola officially kicked off for Africa in Egypt,  a campaign that allows supporters to experience the original trophy up close, capturing the anticipation, pride, and full range of emotions that football delivers.

Fans are invited to “Feel It All” as the tour continues across South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, Algeria and Morocco, creating unforgettable moments and shared pride across the continent.

Goldberg: Celebrating Nigeria’s Rhythm and Supporter Culture

Goldberg Lager Beer has demonstrated another compelling example of fan‑centric engagement through its “Our Beat, Our Gold” campaign, which centres on the cultural heartbeat of Nigerian football.

As the Official Beer and Sponsor of the Super Eagles, Goldberg organised a network of vibrant viewing centres and fan hubs across Lagos and surrounding communities,  turning match days into communal celebrations where fans can watch together, enjoy music, and engage with activities that mirror the rhythms of Nigerian football passion.

The brand also staged “Festival of Drums and Light” events that combined football viewing with entertainment and cultural expression, making match day feel like a festival. These immersive experiences highlighted how Goldberg places supporters , not just logos at the centre of the AFCON narrative, recognising that football in Nigeria is as much about shared culture and conversation as it is about the game itself.

MTN: Rewarding Fans and Bringing Them to the Heart of the Action

Telecoms giant MTN also took meaningful steps that went beyond sponsorship, engaging customers and football fans directly through fan‑first promotions ahead of AFCON 2025.

In Uganda, MTN launched a promotional campaign giving customers a chance to win fully paid trips to Morocco to cheer on the Uganda Cranes during the tournament, turning anticipation for AFCON into active support experiences for consumers.

Additionally, MTN MoMo (mobile money) worked with partners to enable seamless mobile payments at watch parties and fan events, helping fans connect around the matches with confidence and ease.

Peak Milk: Fueling Nationwide Watch Parties

Peak Milk, Nigeria’s leading dairy brand and the Official Milk of the Super Eagles, activated a series of premium nationwide watch parties and bar events across major cities to fuel passion for Nigeria’s football journey.

These football‑centric gatherings gave fans connected experiences where they could enjoy live matches together, reinforcing brand affinity and community spirit while enjoying the tournament.

BetKing: Celebrating Fans and Deepening Local Engagement

BetKing, a major sports betting brand with a strong presence in Nigeria, celebrated the Super Eagles’ bronze finish by rewarding loyal customers and reinforcing its commitment to grassroots sports engagement.

Through campaigns that highlighted fan participation and appreciation, the brand deepened its connection with supporters by not only celebrating results but also investing in sustainable sports development and community initiatives.

1xBet: Amplifying Nigerian Passion on the Ground in Morocco

Global sports betting platform 1xBet brought Nigerian supporters closer to AFCON action through partnerships with local influencers and content creators on the ground in Morocco, creating social content that captured real‑time fan energy and emotion.

This extended fan engagement beyond stadium walls, giving viewers at home a front‑row perspective on the passion and atmosphere around the Super Eagles’ journey.

TECNO’s Pivot From Screens to Streets

One of the clearest signals of this evolution is TECNO’s approach as Official Global Partner of AFCON 2025. Rather than relying solely on broadcast presence, the smartphone brand rolled out Technology Carnival activations across multiple African markets, including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Egypt, and Morocco.

Through these activations, fan zones combined live match screenings with product demos, AI-powered games, interactive photo booths, and offline watch parties.

TECNO also deployed its AI assistant, ELLA, for trivia, score predictions, and fan challenges, reflecting how technology brands are now embedding product utility directly into entertainment moments.

According to TECNO’s public campaign brief and CAF partnership announcements, the activations were designed to mirror how African consumers already use smartphones: as tools for connection, creativity, and shared experiences.

Local Brands Find Their Moment

Beyond multinational players, AFCON 2025 also opened space for local businesses to join the conversation. De Choice Mall in Uyo activated social media prediction games and jersey giveaways, while FanMilk and FanYogo used digital challenges and instant rewards to tie product consumption to match excitement.

Collectively, these efforts underline a growing reality that,  AFCON is no longer only for multinational sponsors. With the right creativity, local brands can tap into football’s emotional currency and earn meaningful attention.

From Visibility to Immersion: The New Playbook

These campaigns illustrate a broader shift in marketing strategies during major sporting event, demonstration thatodern sponsorship is no longer limited to logos on jerseys or stadium banners, instead, it now encompasses immersive experiences, interactive technology, social engagement, and co‑creation with fans.

Notably, brands are using insights from data analytics to tailor activations, ensuring that messaging resonates with specific audiences and amplifies reach through social media conversations, influencer collaborations, and virtual platforms.

AFCON sporting event  shows that the most successful brands are those that understand football’s emotional power and leverage it to create shared experiences. By blending offline and online engagement, celebrating local cultures, and prioritising fan participation over mere visibility, brands are redefining what sponsorship means in the digital era.

As the tournament progresses, marketers are learning that the game is not just about goals and trophies  but  about moments, memories, and meaningful connections that endure long after fans leave the stands.