The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has signed a new deal with the European Commission to support football in Africa.

The European Union will help sponsor the African Schools Football Championship, the 2025 and 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, and this year’s Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

The women’s tournament will be in July 2025 in Morocco, and the men’s event will follow in December. Both are sponsored by the French company TotalEnergies.

The deal was signed in Cairo by European Commissioner Jozef Síkela and CAF President Patrice Motsepe. Motsepe said the partnership will help grow youth football and strengthen ties between Africa and Europe.

Síkela said the EU wants to make its support for Africa more real and useful, especially for young people. He noted that the school football project will reach up to 33,000 schools across Africa.

This partnership is part of the EU’s plan to invest €150 billion in Africa by 2027. The investment also supports areas like clean energy and healthcare.

The signing comes as Africa and Europe mark 25 years since their first joint summit held in Cairo in 2000.