The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is the continent’s largest football tournament, bringing together 24 national teams to compete in 52 matches over several weeks. The competition attracts millions of viewers globally and draws thousands of travelling fans, officials, media crews, and sponsors to host countries. Recent editions have been hosted by countries such as Egypt (2019), Cameroon (2021) and Ivory Coast (2023).
Morocco hosted Africa Cup of Nations in 2025 at a time when its tourism sector was already expanding rapidly. In the same year, the country recorded strong growth across key tourism indicators, including visitor arrivals, air passenger traffic, and hotel stays. The data clearly shows that Morocco’s tourism sector experienced a record-breaking year in 2025
While this analysis cannot conclusively attribute Morocco’s tourism surge to AFCON 2025, the timing and scale of the increase suggest that the tournament may have likely contributed to a meaningful boost in tourism during an already strong growth period.
The country welcomed 19.8 million tourists in 2025, exceeding the government’s target of 18 million. Tourism revenues rose to 124 billion dirhams ($13.5 billion) in the first 11 months of the year, representing a 19% increase from 2024. These figures confirm 2025 as one of the strongest years for Morocco’s tourism industry.
Air Traffic Surge
Air travel volumes rose sharply during the year. Passenger traffic climbed to 36.3 million in 2025, up from 32.7 million in 2024, 27.1 million in 2023, 20.6 million in 2022, and 1.5 million in 2021, supported by expanded flight routes, stronger international connectivity, and the continued recovery in global travel demand. This increase likely occurred during Morocco’s hosting of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025, which drew domestic and international visitors across several host cities.
Hotel Performance Strengthens Ahead of the Tournament
Hotel activity has similarly shown solid growth. By July 2025, Moroccan hotels recorded over 17.13 million overnight stays, a 12% increase from the same period in the previous year. Match-related travel during AFCON may have likely supported occupancy levels in host locations, particularly around game schedules. Past trends point to sustained momentum in the hospitality sector.
For context, Morocco recorded 28.7 million overnight stays in 2024, compared with 25.64 million in 2023 and 19.01 million in 2022.
Tourist Arrivals Hit Record Highs in 2025
Tourist arrivals also reached new highs. Arrivals climbed to a record 19.8 million visitors in 2025, compared with 17.5 million in 2024, 14.5 million in 2023, and 10.87 million in 2022. This represents an 82% increase from 2022 and more than five times the 2021 level of 3.72 million, reflecting a multi-year recovery in Morocco’s tourism sector. Hosting AFCON likely supported short-term visitor flows, alongside broader improvements in accessibility and international travel demand.
While this growth cannot be fully explained by a single event, the alignment of AFCON 2025 with record arrivals suggests the tournament may have likely played a supporting role in accelerating visitor inflows, particularly among regional and international football fans.
Taken together, Morocco’s tourism growth in 2025 is clear and measurable, but while AFCON may have likely contributed to higher travel activity during the year, it cannot conclusively be identified as the sole or definitive driver of the surge.