AFCON 2025 opens in Rabat with Davido-led celebration

AFCON 2025 began with a colourful opening ceremony in Rabat on Saturday night, as Nigerian superstar Davido topped a lineup of performers to launch Africa’s flagship football tournament. The show mixed music, choreography and stadium visuals to set the mood ahead of the first kick of the competition.

Spectators filled the arena as organisers highlighted Moroccan culture through themed segments, lighting effects and fireworks, while artists kept the tempo high on a night built to signal that the continent’s biggest football party is back.

“Tonight is about Africa — our sound, our pride, our moment,” Davido said after taking the stage. A CAF representative described the ceremony as “a showcase of unity and identity through sport,” while one fan in the stands added, “It felt like a festival and a final rolled into one.”

The 24-team tournament now shifts from spectacle to stakes, with Morocco hoping to ride home support deep into the knockout rounds.