The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations transcended football; it emerged as a canvas for African creativity. While players battled on the pitch, a new generation of artists, illustrators, and photographers captured the tournament’s magic through their distinctive lenses, proving that AFCON’s cultural impact extends far beyond the football.
La Loumance: Through the Lens
Photographer La Loumance documented AFCON 2025 with an eye for moments that transcend the game itself. Their work captures the raw emotion, the vibrant fan culture, and the intimate moments that define African football’s biggest stage.
Habib Diarra: Anime Meets AFCON
In an unexpected fusion of cultures, Habib Diarra brought anime aesthetics to AFCON 2025. By reimagining tournament moments through Japanese animation-inspired artwork, Diarra creates a bridge between two passionate fan cultures, giving African football a fresh visual language that resonates with younger, global audiences.
Alli Alchall: Fine Art on the Pitch
Alli Alchall took a classical approach, immortalising AFCON 2025’s defining moments through fine art. Each piece transformed match-day drama into timeless artwork, elevating football imagery to gallery-worthy status and cementing the tournament’s most memorable scenes in artistic permanence.
Karim Moutaqi: Sequential Storytelling
Comic artist Karim Moutaqi chronicled the tournament through sequential art, turning matches into graphic narratives. His AFCON 2025 comics offered fans a different way to relive crucial moments, with visual storytelling that captures both the action and the emotional arc of the competition.
Chinonso Wilfred: The Super Eagles Comic Series
Focusing specifically on Nigeria’s campaign, Chinonso Wilfred’s Super Eagles comic series became essential viewing for Nigerian fans. By following the team’s AFCON journey through illustrated episodes, Wilfred created an ongoing narrative that deepened fans’ connection to their national team.
Ola Aina: From Pitch to Design Studio
In a unique crossover, Super Eagles player Ola Aina stepped off the pitch and into the design studio to create custom boots for teammate Alex Iwobi. This player-to-player collaboration represents a new dimension of creative expression in African football, where athletes are also creators shaping the tournament’s aesthetic.
A New Chapter for African Football Culture
These creatives represent a broader shift in how African football is documented and celebrated. They are active participants in shaping AFCON’s visual identity, ensuring that the 2025 tournament will be remembered not only for what happened on the pitch but for how it was captured, illustrated, and reimagined by Africa’s artistic community.
AFCON 2025 is over, but these artists reminded us that football’s greatest moments deserve to be preserved in multiple media, each offering a unique perspective on the beautiful game.
