AFCON 2025: Fan stories that capture the magic of the tournament

The Africa Cup of Nations has always been about more than football. It is a space for cultural exchange, a meeting point for the African diaspora, and an opportunity for fans of clubs around the world to connect with the countries their favourite players call home.

AFCON 2025 in Morocco has been no different, with supporters travelling from across the globe to experience Africa’s premier football spectacle firsthand.

Their journeys have taken many forms, shaped by different motivations; from loyalty and curiosity to affordability and adventure.

Scroll down for a selection of fan journeys to AFCON 2025.

AFCON 2025: Full schedule, results, scores, and standings

1. Two Scottish boys follow their Zimbabwean hero home

One of the early viral moments of the AFCON group stage came from Zimbabwe’s match against South Africa, when two boys from Scotland, Finlay and Rory, were photographed holding up the Zimbabwean flag in the stands.

A social media post revealed that the pair are Motherwell fans who had travelled to Marrakech specifically to watch Tawanda Maswanhise represent his country on the continental stage.

Zimbabwe may have lost the game 3–2, but Finlay and Rory captured hearts far beyond the result, becoming one of the tournament’s most endearing fan stories.

2. A 3,000km bike ride to watch the opening game

While Finlay and Rory arrived by plane, accompanied by parents or guardians, Moroccan fan Ismail Skira chose a very different route, cycling 3,000 kilometres from Paris to Rabat to watch the opening match between hosts Morocco and Comoros.

Skira said the idea was inspired a year earlier, while attending the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire.

“When I was at the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, the fans were singing a song in support of the national team,” Skira told DW.

“It said that some had come by plane, others by car, some by bicycle, and still others on foot. I picked out the word ‘bicycle’, and that’s how I came here.”

3. CAF gifts couples AFCON tickets after husband’s rant on social media

If you can manage the trip to Morocco but your wallet flinches at ticket prices, just shout into the void of X (formerly Twitter). That’s exactly what Nigerian couple Nathan and Bree did. After Nathan posted frustrations about the high cost of a trip to Morocco to watch the Super Eagles, CAF swiftly responded offering them free tickets if they made the trip. Nathan later updated that not only did the Confederation of African Football offer them free tickets, but they also upgraded the experience to VIP access for all AFCON matches.

4. Nigeria’s Fulham trio brings fans all the way to Morocco

Some fans take club loyalty seriously — then there are those who chase it across continents. Two groups of Fulham supporters have been spotted in Morocco, cheering on the Super Eagles, all thanks to the West London club’s trio of Nigerian internationals.

Calvin Bassey, Alex Iwobi and Samuel Chukwueze, all Fulham players, had strong starts to the Premier League season before heading to AFCON — and some Fulham fans missed them enough to follow them to Morocco.

“We are fans of Nigeria, yes. We support Fulham, and we wanted to see Iwobi today, Bassey, and we also hope Chukwueze plays. We are here to see all of them,” Abby and Philip told Ademola TV after witnessing Nigeria’s 2‑1 win over Tanzania in the first group game.

Meanwhile, Caitlin and her father, Alan, made the journey from Ireland to Marrakech for Nigeria’s quarter-final victory over Algeria.

“I am a Nigeria fan because of those three, and also Ademola Lookman, who used to play for Fulham,” Alan said.

5. When watching football in Europe proves expensive, choose AFCON

If the maths favour AFCON, choose AFCON. Case in point: Scott Wood, a 36-year-old Millwall fan, who decided a trip to AFCON in Morocco was the smarter choice.

Scott revealed he had been weighing the cost of an away day to Millwall vs Hull just before Christmas. Add up the train, the ticket, and a hotel, and it came to £270. Then he looked at a completely different option: flying to Morocco to watch Algeria take on Nigeria.

He wrote on X:

"Was debating doing Millwall away last month, but £140 train, £30 match ticket, £100 hotel. Booked to go to this instead, £80 return flight, £16 match ticket, £100 hotel. So will be supporting Nigerian Hull centre-back Semi Ajayi in Marrakech this weekend instead of Blackburn in the FA Cup."

And so he did, and the Super Eagles made the trip worth it with a commanding 2-0 victory over Algeria to book a semi-final spot.

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