A Nigerian football enthusiast, Oluwatosin Nathan, has received an unexpected reward from the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Soccernet.ng reports.
Nathan is the recipient of CAF's generosity on Saturday, after sharing his frustration over travel costs to next month’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Nathan, who is widely travelled and professionally accomplished, disclosed that attending the AFCON with his wife would cost less than a solo trip to Nigeria in December.
The remark quickly caught fire on social media, prompting a remarkable response from African football’s governing body.
Nathan, a graduate of the University of Lagos and an alumnus of EDHEC Business School in France, currently works at Google, having previously held roles at Amazon, Guinness, KPMG and PwC.
Now based in France, the TotalEnergies scholar explained his cost comparison in a post on X (formerly Twitter), breaking down what he described as the surprisingly low financial barrier to witnessing Africa’s biggest football tournament live.
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Nigeria: CAF responds with free match tickets for two
In the viral post, Nathan wrote:
“I just did the math. What it will cost my wife and I to fly to Morocco, stay 8 days, watch three AFCON games and rent a car for the period. Is cheaper than one person’s flight to Nigeria in December.”
We hear you, and you can redo the math now
— CAF_Online (@CAF_Online) November 29, 2025
Your match tickets for you and your wife are on us ️
Looking forward to seeing you at #TotalEnergiesAFCON2025 in Morocco ⚽ https://t.co/nlC1pxPuus
After a while, CAF picked up on the discussion and replied using its verified official account, issuing a gesture that stunned thousands of fans online.
“We hear you, and you can redo the math now. Your match tickets for you and your wife are on us. Looking forward to seeing you at #TotalEnergiesAFCON2025 in Morocco.”
This is amazing. Thank you so much ❤️ ❤️@CAF_Online
— Nathan (@OIuwatosin) November 29, 2025
With this, Nathan and his wife will now watch multiple AFCON matches at no cost, making their journey even more appealing.
For Nigerian supporters, the story adds colour to the national mood ahead of a tournament that carries unusually high expectations for the Super Eagles.
Nigeria have won the AFCON three times and reached the final in Cote d’Ivoire last year.
After the shock of missing the 2026 World Cup, head coach Eric Chelle is under pressure to deliver a strong showing and potentially bring the trophy home.
Chelle is set to name a final AFCON squad of up to 27 players, though preparations have already encountered challenges.
Youngster Benjamin Fredrick is out injured, while captain William Troost-Ekong is reportedly stepping aside from the competition. Even so, optimism remains high with stars such as Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman expected to spearhead the campaign in Morocco.
The 2025 AFCON begins on 21 December 2025 and runs until 18 January 2026. Should the Super Eagles push deep into the tournament, Nathan and his wife may find themselves witnessing a chapter of Nigerian football history unfold firsthand.
