The Football Teams Most Popular with Africans

Football is hugely popular around Africa and many countries have thriving divisions where teams enjoy great support of their own. Beyond their own continent, African soccer fans also like to follow teams around Europe and across the world.

There are many reasons why this is the case but just who are the most popular football teams with Africans today?

Firm Favorites

Soccer fans tend to follow their heroes and that’s certainly the case as far as African fans are concerned. A recent survey showed that Chelsea, of the English Premier League, are one of the biggest teams on the continent.

Chelsea are especially popular in West Africa due to the fact that many of the region’s best players have made their mark at Stamford Bridge. The brilliant Didier Drogba is the biggest example but others have included Salmon Kalou, Victor Moses, N’Golo Kante, Jon Obi Mikel and Michael Essien.

All six of those players have been a part of Chelsea sides during the most successful period for the club. Fans like to follow success and that’s another reason why the Blues are so popular across Africa.

Eternally Popular

In contrast with Chelsea, Manchester United have not tended to include too many African players in their squads. There have been exceptions to that rule and, from the present roster, Eric Bailly and Amad Diallo from the Ivory Coast are looking to make an impression.

The reason why Manchester United are so popular is because they are a global brand and, have traditionally been one of the most successful sides in the game. They have won more top flight trophies than any other club in England and, as we’ve already seen, success will always attract a following.

United have also been seen as a ‘glamour club’ that has been able to include some of the biggest personalities within the game. George Best, Denis Law, David Beckham and Eric Cantona are legends of the sport who continue to be revered right across the world.

How to Tune in

Watching these great players hasn’t always been easy for Africans who want to take in live football from Europe and beyond. Coverage in certain areas is sparse and it’s been a blow to fans who have not been able to switch on and follow their favourites.

In the modern era, there are ways in which to circumvent this with live streaming being a particularly strong option for some supporters. Another option is to follow updates on zoom livescore which is a website, accessible across the continent.

Zoom livescore is especially popular in Nigeria and South Africa and it allows visitors to follow latest scores and results from right across the world. As the name suggests, this is a live feed and one which updates in real time.

If you can’t tune in to the game itself, this is a perfect way in which to keep in touch with scores and updates of Africa’s favourite overseas sides.

The Ones to Watch

As we’ve seen, African soccer fans are known to follow certain players as they journey around the world. In the past, the Ivory Coast’s Didier Drogba was a fine example as he introduced a whole new legion of supporters to his main club, Chelsea.

In the present day, many Zambians will start to be drawn towards Leicester City thanks to the exploits of striker Patson Daka. The forward played for three domestic clubs in Zambia before crossing to Austria in 2017 to sign a permanent contract with FC Liefering.

A switch to the biggest club in Austria, Red Bull Salzburg, helped to raise Daka’s profile. After four productive seasons, the striker then joined Leicester on a five-year contract. He’s not quite a regular in the Foxes’ line up but an incredible performance in the Europa League suggests that this may change.

Playing against Spartak Moscow in October, Patson Daka scored all four goals in a 4-3 victory and he may just help Leicester City to become one of the most supported clubs in Africa,

On the African Radar

We’ve already mentioned some of the best players in the history of African football and how they’ve influenced choices in terms of which teams to support. It’s a trend that continues to this day and it has its origins from decades past.

From the moment when Cameroon made an impression at the 1990 World Cup in Italy, clubs around the world began to take African football more seriously. In the days before Drogba, George Weah of AC Milan and Samuel Eto’o of Barcelona were among those who drew in new supporters to their respective sides.

Along with those previously mentioned, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Pierre Emerick Aubameyang are among those who will enjoy a loyal African following no matter where they play.

Additional Sources

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1781781-the-50-greatest-african-players-of-all-time