According to World Football Summit‘s in-depth report on the current state of the African football industry and its prospects for the future, leading experts believe the perception of corruption is African football’s biggest burden, but it will considerably decrease by 2025.

African football industry figureheads that took part in the study were quick to point out that while corruption is a major issue in African football, the majority believe that the continent will make major strides in combating such nefarious activity by 2025.

There was also a common belief that football is becoming more professional across Africa, but there needs to be greater investment in the grass roots level of the game and improved security at stadiums if the economic development of football in Africa is to continue on an upward trajectory.

Beyond the realms of leisure and fandom, football has both a symbolic and cultural significance in Africa, touching all aspects of social and economic development in Africa. In fact, the African continent has enormous potential to become a key destination for the global football industry.

To generate further knowledge on the current state of the African industry and its prospects for the future, WFS produced this in-depth report based on a survey involving leading industry professionals, who shared their expertise and provided insight across a variety of topics, including: 

• The economic and social impact of football in the continent
• The level of professionalism of the industry
• The main challenges to tackle heading to 2025

The report has been developed by SPSG Consulting, a consulting firm specialised in providing business solutions to corporations, sports entities and public services in the fields of Sport, Entertainment, Sponsorship and Partnership. 

The results presented in the final version of the report were collected from an online qualitative survey carried out in Spring 2020, and our report is available to download in full, HERE.