Senegal just won the 2026 African Cup of Nations tournament against Morocco… in Morocco… after we thought Senegal already won in the 90th minute… then thought Morocco had won in the 90+24th minute. And somehow in between all of that, the Senegal team simply left the pitch in protest for 20 minutes?
You see how disjointed, hard to follow, and dramatic that paragraph was? Yeah, that’s what it was like to watch the game. In fact that is what it was like to watch the tournament. But this is what makes AFCON unique – the randomness, comedy, shock, despair, and joy we see every single time its AFCON time.
Whether its the crazy tribal celebrations, players with common cramp being carried off on stretchers, or unbelievable refereeing decisions, AFCON never fails to bring a Hollywood level of entertainment.
But the tournament has come under a good amount of criticism over the years for not being proper enough for many football fans – especially those in Europe. Jamie Carragher famously stated that ‘AFCON isn’t a major tournament’ live on Sky Sports. They see the poor refereeing, poor facilities, and lower overall standard as an indictment of the tournament on the whole. These fans are used to watching big tournaments like the Euros, Champions League, or even World Cup played at the highest level. With the best players, best facilities, and best officials, all showcasing just how amazing football can be. To these fans, AFCON isn’t the best display of what football can be.
But they miss something really crucial about the power of football. The pitches may be of a lesser standard, the worst performing teams may be far worse than many fans are used to seeing, and the officials may bamboozle us with some of their decisions – but the spirit of football shines so bright during AFCON. It shines in a way that don’t often see, even at the highest levels of football.
Any time the camera panned to the crowd, we saw emotions on the faces of fans that were so raw and vulnerable, that you could be excused for thinking they were watching a real war between their country and its enemy. Goals bring genuine group jubilation, fouls feel just as much an attack on the fans as they do the players, losses elicit feelings of real pain and anger.
Every country’s fans feel this at tournaments – but AFCON feels different. It is more than just football. It is a celebration of African culture that is broadcast in a way that African culture rarely is. Africa is often synonymous with pain, suffering, and hardship to those in Western culture – but AFCON is one of the most joyous events one could watch. Every country turns up in bunches to simply enjoy the experience of celebrating their team. To express the very best aspects of their culture(s) with their country-mates. They want their team to win, God knows they do, but they’re just so happy to be a part of a spectacle that is so beautiful – the coming together of Africa to show the world not only what their footballers have to offer, but what their culture is all about.
You can say that the quality makes it a ‘non-major’ tournament, and although I’d argue that you’re wrong, for AFCON that isn’t even the point. It isn’t like the Euros, where anything but victory for the biggest teams causes massive uproar back home. AFCON, like the World Cup, shows that football is so much more than what happens on the pitch. It is a celebration of people and community, with the football matches merely acting as vessels for that.
You will undoubtably see things that you would never seen in Western societies. Like Egypt manager, Hossam Hassan, saying their team only has 2 and a quarter professional football players, or the entire Gabon team being suspended after a ‘disgraceful’ showing, or even the Senegal team briefly quitting the final in protest. But that’s just African culture. No fear of media backlash, no holding back of emotions, no political correctness – just a pure and unwavering showing of authenticity.
As a Nigerian, watching Nigeria lose that semi-final to Morocco on penalties was gut-wrenching in a way that watching England never has been. Watching football in Europe is like taking the emotion out of a movie and just wanting the ending to be good. People don’t really care about each little part of the game, they just want and expect their team to win. Watching football in Africa, however, is like being so enthralled in the nuance and drama of the story that you forget there’s is going to be an ending. Every tackle is celebrated, every missed shot feels painful. you don’t look at the advanced stats, or think of ‘field tilt’, you’re just so caught up in the emotion that each game is filled with. It is truly an experience that very few sporting events can rival.
So yes, you could try to argue that on the quality of football alone, AFCON is not as ‘major’ as the Euros, but its ability to showcase just what football is capable of doing to and for a culture, it is one of the most incredible major sporting events in the world.
Are Liverpool trying to be like the Dodgers?