AFCON 2025: 3 Big Launches That Will Redefine African Sports Business

The Kick Off: Welcome to The Scores Report brought to you by Africa Scores and distributed by AFROBALLERS. We are excited to share this revamped version of our newsletter with you. 

Here’s the game plan for today: 

• The 3-pointer: We have 3 special announcements ahead of AFCON 2025 

• The Midfield: Sindiswa’s breakdown of the top deals in African sports business in 2025.

• The Score Board: Upcoming events and job opportunities in the industry, don’t miss it. 

THE 3-POINTER:

THE MIDFIELD: Money Is Moving in African Sports, Here Are the Deals That Shaped 2025

A fundamental shift occurred in the African sports economy this year. For over a decade, the prevailing narrative has focused on the potential of African sports. However, by 2025, this sentiment is finally being supported by significant investments. Markets are no longer waiting for the future of African sports; they are actively investing in it.

Across the continent, the most strategic deals of the year convey a clear message: sports rights are now being valued seriously, women’s sports have entered the realm of commercial viability, and institutional players are engaging with the market. The outcome is a sports business landscape that is markedly different from anything Africa has seen before.

This evolution is particularly evident in five major deals that have shaped the landscape in 2025 so far.

Simba SC: A Case Study in African Football Investment

The most notable signal of this new era came from Tanzania, where Simba SC has emerged as the club that everyone in African football is studying. This interest is not due to a single transaction but rather because the club has successfully demonstrated that, when strategically commercialised, African audiences can command global sponsorship value.

In July, Simba signed a three-year main sponsorship deal worth TSh 20 billion (approximately US $7.9 million) with Betway, making it one of the highest-value football sponsorships on the continent outside North Africa. Remarkably, this was not even their largest deal of the year. Just months earlier, the club secured a five-year partnership with Jayrutty Investment Company Limited worth TSh 38.12 billion (approximately US $14.87 million).

In total, Simba attracted TSh 58.12 billion (approximately US $22.77 million) in commercial commitments in 2025 alone, a figure that would have been unthinkable for a sub-Saharan club just a few years ago. The Simba story suggests a broader truth: African football can achieve significant commercial success if it recognises fans as an economic engine rather than just a sporting audience.

Consumer & Talent Investment: Omega Sports Holding — Flexx Africa + EuroStep Ventures

Another headline trend shaping African sports in 2025 is the rapid investment into the sports consumer market and talent development pipeline, and Omega Sports Holding (OSH) is one of the clearest examples of that shift.

OSH’s first major play came through its undisclosed investment in Flexx Africa, a fast-rising sportswear brand capturing Africa’s youth market. The partnership is designed to scale Flexx beyond the continent by combining Flexx’s Afro-centric athletic identity with Omega’s capital, retail expansion expertise, and access to global distribution. Flexx has already gained momentum, particularly through its visibility during AFCON 2023, and now positions itself as a brand capable of competing on performance and cultural relevance.

Omega has matched its consumer investment with a strategic move in the talent space through its stake in EuroStep Ventures (ESV), a sports and entertainment platform that holds the majority stake in the Metropolitans Basketball Club (MBC) in France, a historic team that has hosted stars such as Victor Wembanyama and Tony Parker. The investment formalises a development pipeline between ABC Fighters (Côte d’Ivoire) and MBC, offering African prospects structured pathways into French elite basketball.

Taken together, Omega’s Flexx Africa and MBC moves signal a clear strategy: the real value of Africa’s talent boom extends beyond exporting players,  it lies in owning the commercial ecosystem around that talent, from performance and lifestyle to consumer culture.

Nigeria: Monetising Media with Transparency

In another sign of maturation in the sector, Nigeria’s Premier Football League (NPFL) achieved a long-awaited milestone by finalising a media deal with transparent financials and structured commercial rights. The NPFL secured a ₦2.14 billion (approximately US $1.47 million) agreement for broadcast and data rights, which includes ₦800 million (approximately US $550,000) in upfront payment and ₦140 million (approximately US $96,000) per year for data management. Inview Technologies and AS Production Hub will manage the broadcast production, while Round-Up Technologies will oversee analytics, a first for the league.

The value of this deal extends beyond its monetary worth. It represents a philosophical shift: Nigeria's largest football market is no longer treating content distribution as a cost centre but is instead monetising it as intellectual property. The NPFL has finally established a market value for its product.

THE SCORE BOARD: The latest opportunities and events in African sports business.

Are you coming to AFCON? Join us on Stadium Circle to discover an exclusive list of events happening on the sidelines of the competition. 

• The BAL is launching the next edition of its future pros program, learn more here. 

• Dakar 2026 is hiring for several positions, click here to learn more.

• Tibu Africa is recruiting a Sports Diplomacy Officer, click here to learn more. 

Until Monday after next,