Despite their loss in the semi-final against Egypt, Cameroon was favored to win it all by Africans polled by Kasi Insight
AFCON unites African football fans across the globe
The ongoing African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cameroon has sparked a lot of excitement across the continent. The games that began on 9th January 2022 have continued to contribute to the country’s tourism market as both local and international fans are jetting into Yaoundé to catch a glimpse of the games. Additionally, a partnership between the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and TikTok has ensured that Africans across the globe have a chance to watch the event from wherever they are. Currently, the CAF online TikTok page boasts more than 2.4 million followers worldwide. According to Boniswa Sidwaba, TikTok Content Operations Manager for Africa, fans have not been able to come together to enjoy the event due to COVID-19 regulations. For them, AFCON was an opportunity to bring African football fans around the world together again, online, starting with the much-anticipated Total Energies Africa Cup of Nations.
Our Kasi Insight survey – AFCON 2021 survey that was conducted in January 2022, assessed 6,864 respondents across fourteen African countries. The poll uncovers the football team that respondents thought will take the African cup home.
The Cameroonian football team predicted to win it all
From the respondents, slightly more than half (52%) have been actively following the games. On assessing their predictions of the winning team, 32% believe that Cameroon will win, 17% believe Ivory Coast will win, 14% believe Senegal will take the cup home, 13% believe Egypt or Morocco will take it home while 11% believe Nigeria will win it. Further analysis on these predictions, established that each country rooted for their own national team to win. It is expected that teams are rated by their ability to play and not by their country of origin.
Regardless of the patriotic nature of football fans across the countries (Ivory Coast, Senegal, Egypt, Morocco, and Nigeria), Cameroon still comes second in their predictions. The odds of Cameroon winning these games are quite high. On the other hand, the chances of Nigeria winning the games are quite low; overall and in 3 countries (Senegal, Egypt, and Morocco) it comes last. Interestingly, even as these predictions have been made only four countries have made it to the AFCON semi-finals – Cameroon, Senegal, Egypt, and Burkina Faso. Burkina Faso has beaten all odds since fans did not expect it to perform exemplarily at the games – it was not in the top six categories of predicted winners.
The passion for football in Africa means AFCON is a winner for brands
The debate on which team will take the cup home continues to excite fans as the event ends. This excitement has led fans to make bets and hope to make a large profit out of their predictions. This has boosted the sales and popularity of many sports betting companies within the region.
Initially, major sporting events were never held in Africa but with the help of CAF, the African space has been exposed. This has been seen through the 2010 World Cup tournament that was held in South Africa and the 2021 World Athletics U20 Championships held in Kenya. Much as these tournaments have been held in Africa, varied brands sponsor them. In the case of AFCON, Total Energies, a French petroleum refining company is sponsoring the event. More than 50% of Africans are actively following the events in Cameroon which translates to the sponsors getting more coverage in the region. The Total Energies Companies has signed new deals in countries like Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda.
Similarly, brands that are looking into making a breakthrough in the African market should take into consideration funding of events such as AFCON. Though it may seem expensive, it is an investment worth making. For this reason, it is important for brands to understand the various advertising strategies that work within the African market.
Our data intelligence platform provides you with data and insights needed to understand consumer behavior and big marketing events.
Contact our team today to explore how our consumer intelligence and brand intelligence can empower your decision-making process. Win with confidence with Kasi insights https://www.kasiinsight.com/thehub!
Comments