Broadcast coverage at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 in Morocco has set a new benchmark for continental football, with all matches filmed using up to 40 cameras per stadium, far exceeding the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) minimum technical requirements.
From Spidercams delivering dynamic aerial angles and drones offering sweeping stadium overviews, to super slow-motion cameras capturing decisive moments in minute detail, every aspect of the match—players, ball movement, technical staff, and crowd reactions—was recorded from multiple perspectives. The result has been a more immersive and cinematic viewing experience for fans.
Morocco also made history as the first African country to deploy High Dynamic Range (HDR) technology for a continental football tournament. This innovation has brought AFCON broadcasts closer to the visual standards of the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championship.
Viewers have benefited from sharper images, richer colors, stronger contrast, and enhanced detail, particularly during night matches and wide-angle shots, making each game more vivid and engaging.
Documentary filmmaker Taher Abdellaoui praised the tournament’s broadcast quality, especially during Morocco’s matches, including the opening fixture. He noted that “good directing delivered the story of the matches so well that viewers feel fully immersed.”
This quality was evident even in fan zones, where hundreds of supporters gathered around giant screens to follow the games and enjoy a complete audiovisual experience.
Abdellaoui highlighted the effective use of slow motion, replays of key moments, and multiple camera angles. “These tools allow the director to answer the viewer’s unspoken questions instantly,” he explained, adding that the diversity of lenses gives directors greater creative freedom to shape the narrative and sustain audience engagement.
Issam Kouchtir, a content creator and filmmaking enthusiast, echoed this assessment, telling Hespress English that what viewers see on screen is the result of meticulous planning. “Before a match even starts, camera positions are carefully mapped out. Engineers place them with precision so that each angle tells part of the story and evokes a specific emotion,” he said.
Kouchtir pointed out that newer stadiums, such as the Rabat complex, were designed with modern broadcasting standards in mind, allowing directors to switch camera angles every three to five seconds.
“The human brain needs visual stimulation. If a shot lingers too long without change, viewers lose interest,” he explained.
He cited the example of an injured player, noting that instead of focusing solely on the incident, directors cut between the player, the coach, teammates, the crowd, and medical staff. “This builds tension and keeps the audience emotionally invested, much like in a film,” Kouchtir concluded.
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