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How to watch 2023 Africa Cup of Nations: live stream all 2024 AFCON matches online from anywhere

The best teams in Africa are set to converge on the Ivory Coast

The upcoming Africa Cup of Nations will be live on beIN Sports in the US, Canada and Australia. It’s streaming for FREE on the New World TV website and app in Sub-Saharan Africa. Away from home? You can use a VPN to unblock the stream from anywhere. Full details on how to watch the AFCON 2023 live streams, wherever you are, continue below.

AFCON 2023 dates: January 13 – February 11, 2024
FREE live stream: New World TV (Sub-Saharan Africa)
International streams: beIN Sports and via Sling or Fubo (US) | beIN Sports (CA, AU)
Use ExpressVPN to watch any stream

African Cup of Nations 2023: preview

There’s now less than two weeks to wait until 24 of Africa’s best teams head to the Ivory Coast for the 34th Africa Cup of Nations. Postponed from summer 2023 to its old slot at the start of the calendar, the hosts will be hoping to win their third title. To do so, they’ll need to overcome recent winners Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, Zambia and record seven-time champions Egypt.

Not to mention current holders Senegal. They beat Egypt in a tense final on penalties in the last edition held in 2022, in a match largely billed as Sadio Mané versus Mohamed Salah.

The two stars will be among a plethora of the world’s finest players heading to the continent for this year’s tournament, including PSG and Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, Al Ahli and Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez, and Besiktas and Cameroon’s Vincent Aboubakar. Plus, the newly named African Footballer of the Year Victor Osimhen of Napoli and Nigeria.

And as 2024 begins, the excitement for the tournament continues to rise – particularly now that the 24 teams have named their provisional squads. In the first instance, they’ve had to submit a list of up to 55 players, with that number being filtered down to 27 by Wednesday, January 3. And despite the starry list of the players who will appear, spare a thought for the likes of Ghana’s Joseph Aidoo and Tariq Lamptey, Cameroon’s Bryan Mbeumo, Mali’s Cheick Doucoure and Nigeria’s Taiwo Awoniyi, all of who will miss out through injury.

In this guide, we explain how to watch African Cup of Nations 2023 live streams, with some countries still yet to name their official broadcaster (we’ll update this page as and when they are confirmed). We also have information on the official ball, mascot, song, AFCON groups and a full schedule of fixtures.

FREE AFCON 2023 LIVE STREAMS

Where to find FREE Africa Cup of Nations live streams

Just like it has for the Champions League, broadcaster New World TV has secured the rights to live stream 2023 Africa Cup of Nations matches in Sub-Saharan Africa.

That means you can watch AFCON games for FREE on the New World TV website and app.

If you’re from a Sub-Saharan country but are overseas when AFCON 2023 is on, it’s possible to use the no.1 soccer VPN to unblock your usual stream from anywhere. Find more details below.

How to watch Africa Cup of Nations 2023 from outside your country

If you’re overseas when the Africa Cup of Nations is on and try to watch the live action on your normal streaming service, you’ll inevitably find that the coverage is blocked due to geographical rights reasons.

You can get past these blocks, however, by using a VPN. A virtual private network allows you to change your computer, smartphone or streaming device’s IP address to a location that is showing your usual coverage.

Use a VPN to stream AFCON 2023 from anywhere

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How to use a VPN to watch AFCON soccer

You can get started with a VPN in three easy steps:

1. Download and install a VPN – as we say, our top choice is ExpressVPN

2. Connect to the appropriate server location – open the VPN app, hit ‘choose location’ and select the appropriate location. For example, you can use Express’s Ghana server to watch New World TV

3. Go to the broadcaster’s stream – head to the relevant streaming service and watch as if you were back at home


GLOBAL AFCON LIVE STREAMS

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How to watch 2023 Africa Cup of Nations live streams in the UK

Despite Sky Sports being touted as the host broadcaster, at the time of writing it still hasn’t been confirmed where you can watch 2023 Africa Cup of Nations live streams in the UK.

However, the sports rights agency IMG has now struck a deal with the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) to exclusively manage the TV rights in the UK and 80+ other countries. So we suspect that the UK broadcaster will soon be named.

There was good news for football fans during the last tournament, with the BBC showing a large chunk of the fixtures absolutely free. So fingers crossed that it renews the deal for the 2024 tournament.

Sky Sports was the other broadcaster with rights to show games in 2022, showing every single one of the 52 matches.

As soon as we know who will be live streaming AFCON 2023 in the UK, we’ll update this article. So be sure to bookmark this page.

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How to watch 2023 Africa Cup of Nations without cable in the US

beIN Sports

International pay-TV sports specialist beIN Sports is set to be the exclusive broadcaster of AFCON 2023 in the US. beIN Sports is available on a selection of cable providers.

To watch the African Cup of Nations without cable, you can watch the action through an OTT cord-cutting service.

Sling TV is probably the best value around. You’ll need one of its base Orange or Blue plans, costing from $40 a month (50% off your first 30 days) and then get its Sports Extra add-on for just $11 more.

Another costlier (but more thorough) option is Fubo. Its standard Pro plan generally costs $74.99 a month for access to more than 180 channels – including beIN. You can test out the service with the Fubo FREE 7-day trial and currently you can get $20 off your first month.

Dish TV and YouTube TV also have plans that carry beIN Sports.

And don’t forget, a quality VPN will let you take your preferred streaming service with you wherever you go, even if that happens to be abroad.

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How to watch AFCON 2023: live stream soccer in Canada

beIN Sports

Much like in the US, it looks as though beIN Sports will be the exclusive broadcaster of AFCON 2023 in Canada.

beIN is available through most cable providers, including Bell, Rogers and Shaw, but there’s also the option for cord cutters to use beIN’s standalone streaming service BeIN Sports Connect.

The service is available for a modest outlay of $14.99 for a monthly pass or a yearly commitment for $99.99 per year. It has dedicated apps for smartphones and tablets, as well as a number of Smart TV platforms.

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How to live stream 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Australia

beIN Sport's

The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations is listed among beIN Sport’s list of upcoming competitions.

beIN Sports costs $14.99 a month or you can effectively get 12 months for the price of 10 with the $149.99 annual plan. And if you’re new to the specialist sports streamer, you can take advantage of its FREE one-week trial.

For beIN subscribers who find themselves outside Australia while the event is on, you can use a VPN to avoid annoying geo-blocking.

New Zealand flag

Can I watch Africa Cup of Nations football in New Zealand?

Unlike Australia, the beIN Sports website in New Zealand does not list AFCON 2023 among its competitions.

Without an official broadcaster yet being announced, we’d imagine that Sky Sport would step up to the plate. We’ll update this section of the page when any news in announced regarding how to live stream the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in New Zealand.

AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS 2023 FAQ

What teams are in the Africa Cup of Nations 2023?

Group A: Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea Bissau

Group B: Egypt, Ghana, Cape Verde, Mozambique

Group C: Senegal, Cameroon, Guinea, Gambia

Group D: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Angola

Group E: Tunisia, Mali, South Africa, Namibia

Group F: Morocco, DR Congo, Zambia, Tanzania

Who is hosting the Africa Cup of Nations 2023?

The Ivory Coast is hosting the Africa Cup of Nations in 2024.

It is only the second time the West African country has hosted AFCON, the first coming 40 years ago in 1984 when the hosts failed to make it out of the group stages and Cameroon went on to beat Nigeria in the final.

The hosts will play all of their AFCON 2023 group games at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in the country’s largest city of Abidjan, which is also where the final will take place on Sunday, February 11.

What are the stadiums for AFCON in 2024?

  • Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan – capacity 60,000
  • Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Abiidjan – 33,000
  • Stade de la Paix, Bouaké – 40,000
  • Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium, Korhogo – 20,000
  • Laurent Pokou Stadium, San-Pédro – 20,000
  • Charles Konan Banny Stadium, Yamoussoukro – 20,000

Why is AFCON 2023 taking place in 2024?

For the 2019 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the schedule was moved from the usual January/February period to a slot in the northern hemisphere’s summer so that it would not clash with the fixtures of the major European domestic leagues.

However, the 2021 and 2023 editions were both postponed until the following January: the former due to COVID, the latter because of concerns that it would clash with the Ivory Coast’s rainy season.

What is the Africa Cup of Nations 2023 mascot?

The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations mascot is a football playing elephant by the name of Akwaba.

According to the tournament’s website, Akwaba is a word derived from a local Ivorian language meaning welcome and “encapsulates essential values that make it a powerful symbol of the competition: hospitality, friendship, generosity, and team spirit”.

Cartoon of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations mascot AKWABA

(Image credit: CAF)

What is the official ball for the Africa Cup of Nations 2023?

The official match ball for games in the Africa Cup of Nations 2023 is the ‘Pokou’.

Made by German sports brand Puma, the Pokou includes flashes of the green and orange of the Ivory Coast flag.

It has been named to commemorate the seventh highest goal scorer in the national team’s history, Laurent Pokou, who died in 2016.

What is the theme song for AFCON 2023?

Just like the tournament’s mascot, the official song for the Africa Cup of Nations 2023 is called ‘Akwaba’ (meaning ‘welcome’ in a local Ivorian language).

The song has been written and recorded by Ivorian group Magic System, Egyptian pop star Mohamed Ramadan and Nigerian singer Yemi Alade. It was produced by Dany Synthe.

Akwaba is described on the AFCON website as: “a fusion of afrobeat, rap and zouglou in a unique musical mix that remains deeply entrenched with the tradition of the competition’s previous anthems.”

Who has won most African Cup of Nations?

Egypt currently hold the record for most Africa Cup of Nations wins, with seven.

Cameroon have won it five times, Ghana have four and Nigeria three.

The 2021 tournament was champions Senegal’s first ever AFCON title.

AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS 2023 FIXTURES & SCHEDULE

(All times GMT)

GROUP STAGE
Saturday, January 13

Ivory Coast vs Guinea-Bissau, 8pm

Sunday, January 14
Nigeria vs Equatorial Guinea, 2pm
Egypt vs Mozambique, 5pm
Ghana vs Cape Verde, 8pm

Monday, January 15
Senegal vs Gambia, 2pm
Cameroon vs Guinea, 5pm
Algeria vs Angola, 8pm

Tuesday, January 16
Burkina vs Mauritania, 2pm
Tunisia vs Namibia, 5pm
Mali vs South Africa, 8pm

Wednesday, January 17
Morocco vs Tanzania, 5pm
DR Congo vs Zambia, 8pm

Thursday, January 18
Equatorial Guinea vs Guinea-Bissau, 2pm
Ivory Coast vs Nigeria, 5pm
Egypt vs Ghana, 8pm

Friday, January 19
Cape Verde vs Mozambique, 2pm
Senegal vs Cameroon, 5pm
Guinea vs Gambia, 8pm

Saturday, January 20
Algeria vs Burkina, 2pm
Mauritania vs Angola, 5pm
Tunisia vs Mali, 8pm

Sunday, January 21
Morocco vs DR Congo, 2pm
Zambia vs Tanzania, 5pm
South Africa vs Namibia, 8pm

Monday, January 22
Equatorial Guinea vs Ivory Coast, 5pm
Guinea-Bissau vs Nigeria, 5pm
Cape Verde vs Egypt, 8pm
Mozambique vs Ghana, 8pm

Tuesday, January 23
Gambia vs Cameroon, 5pm
Guinea vs Senegal, 5pm
Angola vs Burkina, 8pm
Mauritania vs Algeria, 8pm

Wednesday, January 24
Namibia vs Mali, 5pm
South Africa vs Tunisia, 5pm
Tanzania vs DR Congo, 8pm
Zambia vs Morocco, 8pm

Round of 16
Saturday, January 27
Match 1, 5pm
Match 2, 8pm

Sunday, January 28
Match 3, 5pm
Match 4, 8pm

Monday, January 29
Match 5, 5pm
Match 6, 8pm

Tuesday, January 30
Match 7, 5pm
Match 8, 8pm

Quarter-finals
Friday, February 2
QF 1, 5pm
QF 2, 8pm

Saturday, February 3
QF 3, 5pm
QF 4, 8pm

Semi-finals
Wednesday, February 7
SF 1, 5pm
SF 2, 8pm

Third place play-off
Saturday, February 10
Third place play-off, 8pm

Final
Sunday, February 11
Final, 8pm

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