NBA Africa — the joint project between the NBA and FIBA valued at $1 billion — oversees the league’s business and operations on the continent and manages the Basketball Africa League, the league’s media rights, and more.
Other world-class sports properties have also made moves in Africa lately: La Liga opened an office in South Africa, the NFL launched player camps and events, Formula 1 is aiming for a South African GP within the next two years, and Formula E will host its first Grand Prix in Cape Town later this year.
But what makes the region so appealing?
From soccer legends Zinedine Zidane (Algerian descent) and Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast) to basketball superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and Super Bowl-winning defensive end Osi Umenyiora (Nigerian descent) — some of the most talented athletes across sports either come from or have direct heritage from African nations.
As long as the continent delivers more talent, professional teams and leagues will keep investing people and resources into scouting the best African athletes. But it’s not all about the skills.
Africa offers unique macro and demographic characteristics that distinguish it from other markets.
- With 1.4 billion people, Africa is the second-largest continent by population, only behind Asia.
- Estimates by the WEF suggest that one in every five people (~20%) on earth will be African by 2030.
- By 2050, Africa’s combined economy is projected to be worth more than the European Union.
For diverse reasons ranging from mismanagement to corruption, African professional sports leagues have yet to achieve a global breakthrough — but that could be changing.
The South African Football Association (SAFA) successfully hosted the men’s World Cup in South Africa in 2010 and is now bidding for the women’s edition in 2027.
Rwanda and Senegal committed to developing solid infrastructure and invested heavily in building the Kigali Arena — a $104 million stadium, the most expensive one built in Africa yet, for the Basketball Africa League (BAL) — and the 15,000-seat Dakar Arena.
Want to learn more? Check out the Africa report here.
ICYMI: Last week, we published a Report about the value, impact, and potential liabilities of artificial intelligence in sports.
You can access that and all our previous reports on Pro HQ.
