The eight-year sponsorship also covers the Total U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, the Total Women Africa Cup of Nations, the Total CAF Champions League and the Total CAF Super Cup.

It starts with the Total Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Gabon in January 2017 and extends to the 2019 tournament in Cameroon, the 2021 tournament in Ivory Coast and the 2023 tournament in Guinea.

The Total Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is the biggest football tournament across Africa and the Middle East.

Today, Orange (www.Orange.com) has signed a new eight-year contract to be the Official Sponsor and CAF (www.CAFonline.com) partner, extending a successful Orange's sponsorship partnership with CAF which dates back to 2008.

Bruno Mettling, Deputy CEO of Orange, and CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa, commented: “Football is the number one passion of our customers in Africa and the Middle East, and we’re delighted that our new partnership will enable us to bring them even closer to the events and things they love. These flagship competitions in African football generate an incredible spirit of unity across communities and people, and Orange is proud to reaffirm its commitment to supporting football, as we have done for nearly 20 years. Innovations that Orange has developed, like the Orange Football Club digital platform, are particularly popular in the countries where we operate and play a vital role in supporting football fans across the region.”

Rewarding and recognising fans with powerful experiences

The core objective of Orange’s sponsorship strategy, Orange Sponsors You, is to give fans the recognition they deserve by putting them centre-stage, turning the spotlight on them and rewarding them for their passion.

Launching in Mali first, Orange will be doubling the amount of data in its offers to help enable fans to stay on top of all the football action. The Total Africa Cup of Nations is Orange’s biggest event across Africa and the Middle East, and fans can also look forward to unique experiences, events and offers only through Orange, including:

Live football action in stadiums: almost 30,000 match tickets to be rewarded to fans for their passions over the lifetime of the partnership (over 1,000 for the Total Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon in January 2017); Fan of the Match: Exclusive to Orange, the fan that stands out the most at every Finals match will be singled out and recognised by Orange as the tournament’s official fan of the match; Warm-Up: At each game, three fans will get privileged access to watch the pre-match warm-ups.