French telecoms group Orange said it will deploy a range of digital and connectivity services in support of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) TotalEnergies 2025, as organisers seek to enhance fan engagement and showcase the growing role of technology in African sport.
In a statement issued on December 19, Orange said the services will be rolled out for the continent’s flagship football tournament, scheduled to take place in Morocco from December 21, 2025 to January 18, 2026. The company said the initiative aims to demonstrate how digital infrastructure can shape the modern sports experience, both inside and outside stadiums.
Yasser Shaker, chief executive of Orange Middle East and Africa, said the partnership with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) reflects the group’s long-standing commitment to African football. “Football is a shared passion across the continent,” he said, adding that Orange intends to “bring its digital vision to life” during the tournament through its consumer platforms.
Central to the deployment will be Orange’s “Max it” platform, which the group describes as an integrated digital ecosystem combining telecommunications services with entertainment, payments and content. During AFCON 2025, the platform will be used to aggregate tournament-related information and services in a single digital space.
Orange said it will launch a dedicated digital platform for supporters, offering real-time content such as match highlights, statistics, interviews and key moments from games. The service is designed to serve fans both in host cities and across Africa, where television access and connectivity levels vary widely.
The group also plans to introduce artificial intelligence-based tools to support fan engagement. These include a multilingual conversational assistant intended to provide instant responses to supporter queries, ranging from match schedules and results to venue information and team updates. Orange said the AI tools will be adapted to multiple languages commonly used by African football fans.
Beyond digital content, the company plans to set up connected fan zones in several African countries. These shared viewing spaces will be equipped with large screens and connectivity solutions, allowing supporters including those in less well-served or rural areas to follow matches in communal settings. Orange said the initiative is part of its broader strategy to expand access to digital services across its African networks.
AFCON is the biggest sporting event on the continent and one of the most-watched football tournaments globally. The competition, which is held every two years, draws a television and digital audience running into hundreds of millions, making it a major platform for sponsors and technology partners.
The 2025 edition in Morocco comes as CAF seeks to modernise the tournament’s commercial and media footprint. Recent editions have placed increasing emphasis on digital broadcasting, social media engagement and mobile-first consumption, reflecting changing viewing habits, particularly among younger audiences.
Orange has been a long-standing partner of CAF and African football, sponsoring previous editions of AFCON and other continental competitions. The group operates in more than a dozen African countries and has positioned the continent as a core growth market, particularly for mobile data, digital payments and value-added services.
Telecoms operators across Africa have increasingly turned to major sports events to showcase network capabilities and promote digital products. Analysts say football tournaments offer a unique opportunity to demonstrate the value of high-speed connectivity, cloud services and data-driven applications to mass audiences.
For Morocco, hosting AFCON 2025 is also seen as a test of its infrastructure and organisational capacity ahead of the 2030 World Cup, which it will co-host with Spain and Portugal. Investments in stadiums, transport and digital connectivity are expected to be closely scrutinised during the tournament.
Orange said its AFCON deployment underlines the growing convergence between telecommunications, digital platforms and sports consumption in Africa. As fans increasingly follow matches through smartphones and online platforms rather than traditional television alone, the group argues that reliable networks and innovative digital services will be central to the future of the game on the continent.
