It’s been a month since the triumphant win of the SA women’s football team, Banyana Banyana, at the 2022 TotalEnergies Women's Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, and South Africans are still cheering and dancing. With so much excitement still in the air, TikTok users continue to share their thoughts, feelings, and favourite moments, culminating with #EmpoweringOurGame, which has received over 46.5 million views in-app.
Carla Harris, SSA Media Partnerships Lead with a special focus on sport and entertainment, explains that #EmpoweringOurGame was initiated by the CAF Confederation Cup and has captured millions of users' attention not only for the Women's AFCON, but also to celebrate, empower, and encourage more inclusivity in sports. It’s for this reason that TikTok found it extremely important to throw their support behind the hashtag both now, during football season, and in the months to come in support of other sporting events.
“Women’s AFCON was a key partnership that highlighted TikTok as a central hub for sports entertainment, a positioning that was also cemented through partnerships with UEFA in 2021 and then the CAF Confederation Cup earlier this year. However, while there are many sporting events to enjoy annually, we must continue to highlight and celebrate women in sport, especially trailblazing women in football who continue to demonstrate their strength and power on and off the field,” says Harris.
She goes on to say “while there has been tremendous growth in sport on TikTok, #womeninsports has really grown, reaching over 1.2 billion views. As a result of TikTok's partnership with one of the most iconic African events in the sports calendar, #totalenergieswafcon2022 sits at over 65 million views and #banyanabanyana sits at 27 million - both of which grew over the competition. These views are testament to the growing sports culture and interest in the platform as we provide fans with unique, creative and engaging content,” said Harris.
Harris concludes: There’s an appetite for diversity in sports and we, as well as our community of users, want to hear from all voices in the room to facilitate a positive and all-inclusive environment. We have the full backing of our global team to grow sports content in-app and create more visibility around sports and sporting events across Africa. We look forward to everything to come.”
@caf_online It's just too easy for her #TotalEnergiesWAFCON2022 | #EmpoweringOurGame | #SouthAfrica ? original sound - CAF_Online
@lady_pogba Congratulations to Our Queens Well Deserve I’m Really Proud Of #BanyanaBanyana They’re Fighting Spirit Is What Keeps Me Going And Believing That I Will One Day Be One Of Them #womensfootball ? Fara mbê - Football Together - Calema
@caf_online Linda Motlhalo showing some skills! #WAFCON2022 | #EmpoweringOurGame | #SouthAfrica | #Banyanabanyana ? original sound - CAF_Online
@caf_online VS 2028! Watch the #TotalEnergiesWAFCON2022 draw tomorrow LIVE on our TikTok account! ?? #Football #Soccer #Africa #AfroDance #Nigeria #Naija #SouthAfrica ? original sound - CAF_Online
