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For most website owners and app developers, January is a tough month. The holiday shopping craze ends, advertisers close their wallets, and RPMs (revenue per 1,000 impressions) usually hit rock bottom.

But AFCON 2025 is changing the rules.

With the tournament kicking off in Morocco right in the middle of the holidays (Dec 21, 2025 – Jan 18, 2026), you have a rare opportunity to keep your traffic high and your ad revenue flowing when the rest of the industry is quiet.

Here is how you can prepare your site or app to cash in on one of the world’s biggest sporting events.

Why AFCON 2025 is Great for Publishers

Usually, football tournaments happen in the summer. This one is special because it bridges the gap between Christmas and the New Year.

• Advertisers Are Spending: Big brands (Betting, VPNs, Streaming) are desperate to reach fans. They need your traffic, and they are willing to pay higher CPMs for it.
• Users Are Glued to Screens: With 52 matches featuring giants like Morocco, Nigeria, and Egypt, fans will be refreshing your pages constantly for scores, news, and highlights.
• European Prime Time: Since the event is in Morocco, the time zone aligns perfectly with Europe and Africa. This means peak traffic happens during the day and evening, not the middle of the night.

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Know Your Audience 

To make money, you need to give your visitors exactly what they are looking for. During AFCON, your traffic will look like this:

• Mobile-First: 80-90% of your traffic will come from mobile devices (mostly Android). If your site isn't mobile-friendly, you are leaving money on the table.
• Urgent Intent: Users want answers now. They are searching for "Live Score," "Watch Free," or "Betting Odds."
• Global Reach: You won't just get traffic from Africa. Expect a surge from the UK, France, and Belgium—these are "Tier 1" visitors that advertisers pay a premium for.

How to Monetize AFCON Successfully

You don't need to reinvent the wheel. Just focus on these three basics:

Speed: When a goal is scored, thousands of people will load your site at once. If your page takes 5 seconds to load, they will leave. Compress your images and ensure your server can handle a sudden spike in traffic. Make sure your hosting service can handle the traffic, too.

Capture the User: Don't let a visitor leave after reading one article. Use Push Notifications to ask them to subscribe for "Goal Alerts" or "Match Previews." This allows you to bring them back to your site again and again for free.

‍Choose the right Ad Formats

Let’s get real here: sports fans are an emotional bunch. They’re stressed, they’re excited, and they’re refreshing your page every ten seconds. The last thing you want to do is slap a giant banner in their face right as a striker is about to take a penalty. They’ll just leave.

To keep the vibes good and the revenue flowing, you need ad formats that respect the user but still get the job done. Here are the three we swear by at AdMaven.

The Silent Money Maker: Pop-Unders
If you want the highest payouts without ruining the match experience, this is the one. Instead of popping over the content, these ads load quietly in the background, sitting behind the main browser tab.

It’s the best of both worlds: your visitor gets to read their match analysis or watch a highlight clip completely uninterrupted. Then, when they’re done and close the tab, your ad is waiting there for them. Advertisers love the full-page visibility, which usually means fat CPMs for you, and users love not being interrupted.

The Mobile Native: In-Page Push
Since almost everyone checking AFCON scores will be on their phone, you need something that feels natural on a small screen. That’s where In-Page Push shines. These look like those little "New Message" or "System Alert" notifications that float at the top or bottom of the screen.

The cool part? Unlike old-school web push, users don’t need to subscribe to see them, and they don’t get blocked by iPhones. Because they look like a native part of your site interface rather than an ad, people trust them, click them, and you get paid.

The "Value Exchange": Content Lockers
If you’re sitting on premium content like exclusive betting tips, live stream links, or a downloadable match calendar, don’t just give it away for free. Lock it up.

A Content Locker basically tells the user: "Hey, want this exclusive info? Just complete a quick task first." The task might be downloading a free app or answering a simple survey. Because the user really wants that betting tip or stream, they’re happy to do it. It’s a fair trade that converts like crazy and pays out way better than a standard click.

Pro Tips for Publishers

If you want to move from "good revenue" to "great revenue," try these advanced tactics:

The "Second Screen" SEO Strategy: Fans watch the game on TV but search on their phones. Create content specifically for these moments.

Write quick articles like: "Player Ratings: Morocco vs Egypt" or "Who Scored the Goal?" immediately after the whistle.

This content gets picked up by Google Discover and News feeds instantly.

Mix Ads with Affiliate Offers: Don't just rely on programmatic ads (banners). Add Affiliate Links for sports betting sites or VPN services directly into your content.

For example: "Watch the match live here (VPN required)" or "Bet on Nigeria to win here." This way, you get paid for the click and a commission if they sign up.

Geofence Your Content: Advertisers pay different rates for different countries.

If you have traffic from France or the UK, show them premium video ads or high-ticket betting offers. If your traffic is from Nigeria or Ghana, focus on volume with lightweight ads (like Push) that don't consume their mobile data.

Update Content in Real-Time: Static pages die during live sports. Use a "Live Blog" feature on your site during matches.

Users may stay on the page for 90 minutes, refreshing constantly. This skyrockets your "Time on Site" and ad impressions.

Look Ahead

AFCON ends in mid-January, but the sports calendar is full. Use the money and the audience you build during AFCON to prepare for the Winter Olympics (February) and the World Cup 2026 qualifiers.

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