The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has unveiled a striking new Man of the Match trophy for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025, designed by British-Nigerian artist and designer Yinka Ilori. The trophy, awarded to the standout player in every match of the tournament, introduces a renewed visual identity for AFCON’s individual honours while firmly centring African-led creativity within the competition.
AFCON 2025, hosted by Morocco, will bring together 24 national teams from across the continent, competing in 52 matches. Designed to be presented after each game, Ilori’s trophy moves beyond conventional sporting awards, positioning itself as both a symbol of excellence on the pitch and a celebration of African unity, diversity, and design heritage.
Born in London to Nigerian parents, Yinka Ilori is internationally recognised for his multidisciplinary practice spanning architecture, furniture, public installations, and product design. His work is defined by bold storytelling, cultural symbolism, and a contemporary reinterpretation of African visual languages. While he has collaborated with major global brands and institutions, his partnership with CAF marks a significant cultural moment—placing African authorship at the centre of one of the continent’s most watched sporting events.
According to CAF, the Man of the Match trophy was commissioned to embody both the competitive spirit of AFCON and the diversity of its participating nations. Ilori’s design is composed of 24 radiant metal beams, each representing one of the 24 teams competing in the tournament. Crafted from a mix of materials, the beams symbolise the individuality of each nation while underscoring their shared presence within the competition.
The beams undulate and converge towards the centre of the trophy, a visual metaphor for football’s power to unite people across borders, cultures, and languages. At the heart of the design sits the Damask rose, the national flower of Morocco, anchoring the trophy to its host nation and serving as a reminder of where the honour is earned—on Moroccan soil.
Speaking about the project, Ilori explained that the trophy was conceived as a celebration of both individual excellence and collective identity. “The mix of materials distinguishes each nation, while the way the beams converge symbolises how football brings people together,” he said. “It celebrates each country’s unique strengths and contributions to the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON, Morocco 2025.”
Unlike much of Ilori’s previous work, which is often characterised by vibrant colour, the AFCON Man of the Match trophy adopts a more restrained palette of gold and white-gold tones. This decision, Ilori noted, was intentional and rooted in historical research. Gold, long associated with wealth, craftsmanship, and power across many African civilizations, became central to the trophy’s material language. “It was intrinsic for me to focus on the richness of gold and white gold,” he explained, framing the material choice as a nod to the continent’s legacy rather than a purely aesthetic decision.
CAF’s collaboration with Ilori reflects a broader strategy to position AFCON as a cultural platform as much as a football tournament. In recent editions, the organisation has increasingly integrated art, fashion, and music into its competitions, reinforcing football’s role as a connector of creative expression across Africa.
The first Man of the Match trophy was awarded at the tournament’s opening game at the Populous-designed Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, where Morocco’s Brahim Díaz received the honour. As the tournament unfolds, the trophy will continue to circulate across stadiums and nations, becoming one of the most visible symbols of AFCON 2025.
More than a sporting accolade, the AFCON 2025 Man of the Match trophy stands as a powerful cultural object—made by an African, for Africa—embodying excellence, unity, and contemporary African design on one of the continent’s biggest stages.
