AFCON: Adebayor says competition has transformed: “Now it’s beautiful”

Former Togo international Emmanuel Adebayor has claimed that the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament has transformed and grown to be far more than a series of football matches.

The 35th edition of the tournament is currently going on in Morocco with 16 teams making it from the group matches to the knockout stages. Ahead of the Round of 16 kick off on Saturday, the former Arsenal striker gave his assessment of the tournament.

“It’s very different now, in the sense that many things have changed. When we went to AFCON, we wore tracksuits—sometimes a suit, only once if I remember correctly,” Adebayor told CAFOnline.com.

AFCON IS just beautiful to watch

“Today, the competition has transformed. “Now it’s beautiful. It’s art. It’s our culture. It was just beautiful to watch. Magnificent.”

He added: “We play different, we dress different, we talk different. At the end of the day, we must remember that we are Africans. We have our values. We have our cultures.”

Adebayor further recalled the pre-match rituals: the songs, the prayers. “We would arrive at the stadium singing, glorifying God, singing gospel—just to motivate ourselves. That’s how we grew up.” Far from being mere tradition, these practices shaped the mindset of African players, preparing them for the challenges on the pitch.

What strikes Adebayor now is the continuity of these traditions. “I see the young players doing the same thing.” Culture has not been lost; it has evolved—and now it is proudly on display for the world to see. “I see our culture rising, and we can show it to everyone.”

The first knockout stage will be staged from Saturday, 3 January to Tuesday, 6 January, with two matches every day. Hosts Morocco will face Tanzania at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdellah in Rabat on Sunday.

On Saturday, Senegal will take on Sudan on Saturday in the first of the Round of 16 games at the Grand Stade de Tangier to kick-off the knockout phase.