Visa has released new consumer spending insights for the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Morocco 2025 period, revealing year-on-year growth in cross-border transactions and underscoring how major sporting events drive travel demand and influence consumer spending patterns across host destinations.
Highlights of inbound spending trends during the tournament period include:
Cross-Border Spending Trends
Inbound spending increased during the tournament, with cross‑border transactions from participating countries rising over 190% year‑on‑year, driven mainly by visitors from Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Together, they accounted for over 60% of the growth. Across all inbound markets, visitors from France, the United States, and the United Kingdom accounted for almost half of the total increase.
Travel and Stay Patterns
Building on this rise in cross-border activity, short-stay visitor spending (1–4 days) from participating countries increased by 120%, while long-stay spending (5+ days) rose by 210%. All six host cities recorded higher inbound spending across all visitor markets, with Rabat (+70%), Tangier (+55%), and Casablanca (+50%) showing the largest increases.
Sports-Related Spending
Sports‑related spending also increased by 45% during the period, supported by higher fan merchandise purchases and increased activity in sporting clubs, particularly golf, swimming, and outdoor camps.
Everyday Spending Patterns
At‑home spending also increased, with delivered food and groceries up 55% during the tournament period.
Sami Romdhane, Country Manager, Visa, Morocco, said: “These spending patterns show a broad uplift across key categories, from inbound and short‑stay transactions to sports‑related purchases and at‑home spend. Together, they provide a snapshot of how fans and visitors chose to engage across Morocco during the tournament.”
Nicolas Khoury, SVP, Head of Visa Consulting & Analytics, CEMEA, said: “The data captured during the tournament period offers a view of how consumer spending patterns shift during major events. These insights help issuers and merchants design more targeted solutions, campaigns and offers that meet real customer needs. At Visa Consulting & Analytics, we turn this data into actionable strategies that enable our partners to identify opportunities and deliver better experiences.”
Chad Pollock, VP & GM Visa East Africa, said: “The data shows how major tournaments can shape spending patterns around travel and commerce. As the next hosts, East Africa has the opportunity to see similar dynamics, particularly in cross border visitor spending and activity across local businesses”
Teams qualified for TotalEnergies CAF AFCON, Morocco 2025 include Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, DR Congo, Cameroon, South Africa, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Uganda, Angola, Zambia, Benin, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Comoros, Tanzania, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Botswana.