adidas and Arte Antwerp sign the best Africa Cup of Nations 2025 collection Brahim Díaz and Benseghir have rocked it

The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations will kick off on December 21 with the opening match between Morocco and the Comoros national team. Players from the various squads have already begun arriving in Morocco, the host country, over the past few days to join their respective teams and prepare for pre-competition training. If, as always, this year’s AFCON also promises plenty of surprises from multiple perspectives—starting with competitiveness—among the most anticipated national teams, in addition of course to Morocco, Nigeria with Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman undoubtedly represents one of the most concrete threats to all participants.

But, like any international or continental sporting event worthy of the name, it is also essential to understand the cultural impact of the off-the-pitch context: all those components—such as aesthetic ones—that will frame the purely sporting aspect of a competition set to accompany us between the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026. The Africa Cup of Nations will likely generate about a third of the fashion collections, merchandising, activations, and related initiatives compared to what the World Cup in the United States, scheduled for next summer, will produce. These are nonetheless aspects that deserve in-depth analysis, as they are capable of preserving and telling the story of collective memory not only of the host nation, Morocco, but also of all the participating national teams.

adidas and Arte Antwerp

For now, the collection that stands out the most—released right on the eve of the national teams’ call to arms—is the one born from the collaboration between Arte Antwerp and adidas, whose pieces directly reference the colors of the Moroccan national team: red, green, and white. The two brands created a special collection inspired by the colors of Morocco, worn—no coincidence—by Brahim Díaz and Eliesse Ben Seghir on the very first day of the training camp. Arte Antwerp is a brand founded by creative director Bertony Da Silva who, although born in Belgium, has Angolan origins: a detail that makes his contribution to Africa’s most important competition even more meaningful.

Achraf Hakimi

The cultural impact on the Moroccan cities that will host the Africa Cup of Nations also stems from initiatives by the players themselves—above all Achraf Hakimi, the reigning European champion with Paris Saint-Germain and one of the best footballers in the world. It is almost superfluous to say that Hakimi is not only the most influential and followed player of the Moroccan national team, but also of the entire Africa Cup of Nations. And it is precisely Achraf Hakimi who, in collaboration with artist Hassan Hajjaj, has opened a pop-up bar in Casablanca called JUJ: a place that, as stated on the venue’s Instagram profile, blends art, football culture, and Moroccan tradition.