From the initial low scoring affairs to the nail-biting final which ended with #TeamSenegal’s victory over #TeamEgypt in a tense penalty shootout, football fans turned to Twitter to follow all the latest and most exciting news around the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2021 tournament. Through a data pool of Tweets, hashtags and handles, Twitter has highlighted the key moments that drove the public conversation during AFCON.
The most used 2022 AFCON hashtags
Despite an early exit from the tournament, #TeamGhana was still a major conversation driver globally, and among the top hashtags used during the tournament. #AFCON2021 was the most used hashtag worldwide, and finalists #TeamSenegal and #TeamEgypt as well as hosts #TeamCameroon were also among the top 10 hashtags. Globally, the 5 most used hashtags were:
#AFCON2021
#CAN2021
#TotalEnergiesAFCON2021
#TeamNigeria
#TeamGhana
The most mentioned handles
The most mentioned handles during the tournament consisted of a mix of national teams, official pages, international players and trusted pages dedicated to punditry and commentary. The official Confederation of African Football (CAF) handle received a ton of engagement, coming in second place on the list of top handles, with the Nigerian national team leading the pack in first place.
Top AFCON Tweets
The most successful AFCON Tweets consisted of a mix of tense moments on the pitch, support from fans and other footballers, hilarious commentary etc. The top Retweeted post came from French play Kylian Mbappe hailing Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi as “the best right-back in the world”. Below are some of the most engaging and hilarious Tweets from AFCON.
Top emojis, media and other stats of note
When it comes to using Emojis, the top 10 list reveals a range of emotions only football can elicit from people on Twitter. From laughter to tears, clapping, trophies and sheer alarm, Emojis played an important role in expressing the emotions amid often heated and joyful conversations. The top Emojis used were:
😂 😭 👏🏾 🔥 🔴 🆚 🏆 🦅 😍 🚨
Twitter has also revealed that many AFCON Tweets included media. Pictures and videos where often used to tell and amplify inspirational AFCON stories; such as a video posted by sports journalist and Twitter Spaces host of #AFCONwithJuliet Juliet Bawuah, telling the story of Salima Mukansanga following her historic appearance as a referee at #AFCON2021.
Latest Stories
-
Embracing the Winter Charm: Life in Avon, Boston in December 2022
19 mins -
20 dead including children in accident on Tsibu and Peki-Adzokoe road
33 mins -
BOST admits to buying 18 iPhones for staff but contests amount involved
45 mins -
Harvard University inaugurates Claudine Gay as school’s first Black president
1 hour -
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa: ‘Exposing the corrupt Frontiers cover-up’
2 hours -
Adansi Travels celebrates decade of excellence with a prestigious CIMG Award
3 hours -
Ghana CEO Awards: FeDems Limited’s Felix Atsrim wins best CEO in engineering
3 hours -
Newage Agric Solutions Limited emerges as the best agric company in Ghana
3 hours -
The Multimedia Group wins big at 34th CIMG Awards
4 hours -
34th CIMG Awards honours 56 individuals and companies; David Afflu adjudged ‘Marketing Man of Year’
4 hours -
NSMQ wins CIMG-New Media Campaign of the Year 2022
5 hours -
NSMQ wins CIMG TV Programme of the Year 2022
5 hours -
AI will not replace health professionals – WHO
6 hours -
BOST clears air on ‘iPhone 13 Pro Max’ purchase allegations
7 hours -
SHS science students population up by 25%; will double in 2024 due to STEM policies – Akufo-Addo
8 hours