The 2025 TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) officially began on Sunday, December 21, in Morocco, with Nigerian singer Davido being one of the headline performers at the opening ceremony in Rabat, appearing alongside French Montana and RedOne in a central performance titled “Le Show.”
The ceremony took place shortly before Morocco’s opening match against Comoros at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.
Beyond the ceremony, Davido has also drawn attention for his public support of Nigeria’s national team, the Super Eagles. On Sunday, he revealed via his X (formerly Twitter) account that he placed a $25,000 bet (about ₦36 million) on Nigeria’s opening Group C match against Tanzania. The bet predicts that both teams will score, with a potential payout of $96,564 (approximately ₦140 million).
This is not Davido’s first high-profile wager on the Super Eagles. Earlier, he staked $10,000 on Nigeria’s World Cup qualifier against Gabon, a bet that did not pay off after Nigeria lost the match. Despite that outcome, his public backing of the team has continued.
French Montana, who was born in Morocco and raised in the United States, also featured prominently at the opening ceremony. The third major figure in the ceremony was RedOne, the Moroccan-born music producer known for his work with international pop stars.
Nigeria will begin its AFCON 2025 campaign on Tuesday, December 23, against Tanzania at the Complex Sportif de Fes in Fez, Morocco.
The Super Eagles, three-time African champions, are among the tournament favourites. They finished as runners-up at the previous AFCON but arrive at this edition with lower public expectations following their failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
On paper, Nigeria holds a clear advantage:
FIFA ranking: Nigeria (38th), Tanzania (112th)
Head-to-head record: Tanzania has never beaten Nigeria in a competitive match
Despite this, recent performances have made fans more cautious than usual.
AFCON 2025 runs until January 18 and features 24 teams competing across six Moroccan cities: Rabat, Casablanca, Tangier, Marrakech, Fez and Agadir. Matches will be played in nine stadiums.
Morocco is hosting the Africa Cup of Nations finals for the first time since 1988, with organisers presenting this edition as one of the most ambitious in the tournament’s history.
