Watch a AFCON 2023 live stream
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.
African Cup of Nations 2023: preview
24 of Africa's best teams are heading to the Ivory Coast in January for the 34th Africa Cup of Nations. Postponed from summer 2023 to its more traditional 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 (pictured above) 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, Napoli and Nigeria's Victor Osimhen, Al Ahli and Algeria's Riyad Mahrez, and Besiktas and Cameroon's Vincent Aboubakar.
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 they did for the Champions League, broadcaster New World TV has bought 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
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
How to watch 2023 Africa Cup of Nations live streams in the UK
How to watch 2023 Africa Cup of Nations without cable in the US
How to watch AFCON 2023: live stream soccer in Canada
How to live stream 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Australia
Can I watch Africa Cup of Nations football 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.
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".
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."
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
