Technology

How to watch Africa Cup of Nations online for free

Senegal players celebrate with the trophy

TL;DR: Access free live streams of AFCON 2023 from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.


It’s that special time when it seems like all of Africa comes together for a festival of football.

The Africa Cup of Nations is like nothing else. This competition throws together some of the world’s best international teams, players, and fans. And the result is always entertaining. We really can’t wait to see how things play out. And you can do the same without spending anything.

If you want to watch the African Cup of Nations for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

What is AFCON 2023?

The Africa Cup of Nations (or AFCON) is the main international men’s association football competition in Africa. It is sanctioned by the Confederation of African Football, and was first held in 1957.

Egypt is the most successful nation in the competition’s history, winning the tournament seven times. Senegal are the current champions, having beaten Egypt on penalties in the 2021 final.

When is AFCON 2023?

The 2023 African Cup of Nations is the 34th edition of the biennial tournament. It will be hosted by Ivory Coast for the second time.

This edition of the tournament was initially planned to take place during the Northern Hemisphere’s summer, in order to reduce scheduling conflicts with European club teams and competitions. However, it was postponed due to the adverse summer weather concerns in Ivory Coast.

AFCON 2023 will now take place from Jan. 13 to Feb. 11.

Where to watch AFCON 2023?

It’s important to note that the broadcasting situation for AFCON 2023 is not yet settled, and we expect more providers to enter the picture as we get closer to the tournament. Having said that, there are plenty of options when it comes to watching the 2023 African Cup of Nations:

  • Australia — beIN Sports or Kayo Sports

  • Belgium — RTBF

  • Canada — FuboTV

  • France — beIN Sports

  • Germany — Sportdigital

  • Italy — Sportitalia

  • Netherlands — Zigo Sport

  • South Africa — SABC Sport (free and recommended)

  • UK — CAF YouTube (free and recommended)

  • USA — beIN Sports via Sling TV, FuboTV, Fanatiz, YouTube TV, or Hulu with Live TV

Unfortunately, a lot of these services are not free. And if they are free, they are geo-restricted to a certain location, meaning you’ll be blocked it you attempt to connect from another country. That is unless you’re equipped with a VPN.

How to watch AFCON 2023 for free

AFCON 2023 will be shown free-to-air on the CAF YouTube channel from most locations around the world. If you’re based somewhere without access to this channel, you’ll need to use a VPN to hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect to a server in an approved location (such as the UK).

In addition, SABC Sport will offer free live streaming of all the 52 games, while also offering a free catch-up service for those that may have missed the live action. This service is geo-restricted to South Africa, but anyone can access this free service with a VPN.

Access SABC Sport from anywhere in the world by following these simple steps:

  1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

  2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

  3. Open up the app and connect to a server in South Africa

  4. Visit SABC Sport

  5. Steam AFCON 2023 for free from anywhere in the world

ExpressVPN logo

Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free)

£82.82 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to SABC Sport or CAF YouTube live streams without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch AFCON 2023 for free.

What is the best VPN for streaming?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream sport, for a number of reasons:

  • Servers in 94 countries including Australia

  • Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

  • Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

  • Fast connection speeds

  • Up to five simultaneous connections

  • 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for £82.82 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Watch the African Cup of Nations for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Mashable