Spotify listening data shows football podcast consumption is accelerating across Sub-Saharan Africa, with several markets posting strong increases in June compared with the January–May average.
The data points to a broad rise in sports audio engagement across the region, as fans increasingly turn to podcasts for commentary, match analysis, player stories, club conversations, and fan-led discussion.
Growth is not limited to one market or sub-region, with gains appearing across Southern, East, West, and Central Africa.
Among the fastest-growing SSA markets for football-related podcast listening are Eswatini, up 160.2%; Angola, up 144.7%; Madagascar, up 137.2%; Mozambique, up 136.0%; Togo, up 121.0%; Benin, up 120.0%; Cabo Verde, up 113.6%; Côte d’Ivoire, up 110.4%; Namibia, up 103.3%; Rwanda, up 98.0%; Guinea, up 94.3%; Mauritius, up 88.6%; Cameroon, up 86.8%; Burundi, up 82.9%; Burkina Faso, up 81.3%; and South Africa, up 80.3%.
The trend reflects the growing role of podcasts as a companion format for football fans across the region.
Beyond live games and short-form clips, listeners are engaging with longer-form analysis, creator-led conversations, and local perspectives that deepen the way they follow the sport.
The findings are based on Spotify podcast listening data from June 1 through June 20, 2026, comparing average daily football-related podcast streams from June 1–20 against the January–May average.
About Spotify
Spotify transformed music listening forever when it launched in 2008. Its mission is to unlock the potential of human creativity by allowing a million creative artists to live off their art and billions of fans the opportunity to enjoy and be inspired by these creators. Everything Spotify does is driven by its love for music and podcasts.
Discover, manage, and share over 100 million tracks, including more than 6 million podcast titles, for free, or upgrade to Spotify Premium to access exclusive features for music, including improved sound quality and an on-demand, offline, and ad-free music listening experience.
Today, Spotify is the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service with a community of 626 million users, including 246 million Spotify Premium subscribers, in over 180 markets.
Don’t miss important articles during the week. Subscribe to techbuild weekly digest for updates



